Jalen Williams, who recently participated in the 2025 NBA finals, has been officially honored with the new street name. On June 5th, as a way to honor the star player, the administration renamed the street to “Jalen Williams Way” as a tribute to not only his excellent athleticism but also his kind hearted personality.
After his graduation in 2019, Williams went on to play college basketball for Santa Clara and since then has been drafted into the NBA. He recently was named an NBA All Star and his current team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, advanced to the NBA finals. In honor of this achievement the town of Gilbert has allowed the renaming of a nearby street similar to the previous name change “Brock Purdy Way”.
According to Athletic Director Jennifer Burkes, a new tradition has been formed for future student achievements. Burkes mentioned, “When Jalen went to the finals for the NBA, we’d already had set that precedent, so decided, okay, lets get Jalen up there.” Burkes went on to explain how this new tradition can also be used for other large achievements that are non sports related. Burkes continued, “Who knows, there could be things not related to sports that people do that are pretty big.” As of now the street will remain as “Jalen Williams Way” for a short period of time.
While Williams showcased athleticism, those who had interacted closely with him also commented on his personality. Teacher Damien Tippett had Williams come in as a guest speaker for Puma Mental Warriors on August 28, 2024. Williams was known for being an excellent student as well as a kindhearted person. Tippett voiced, “He’s still the same character…genuine good person that he was when he was a teenager.” He continued, “If you ever get a chance to meet his parents or his brother Cody, you’ll see that they are just really genuine, good, humble people.”
At the Puma Mental Warriors event, William’s determination shined through his responses. Throughout William’s guest speaker event he answered multiple questions from students in the crowd. This provided Williams the opportunity to enlighten and inspire students on any questions or doubts they may have had. One student asked, “How do you stay motivated?” In response William replied, “ I think you have to love the sport that you play…I enjoy the process of getting better.” His responses related directly to the students as a connection to when he was once their age.
With this new found tradition of honoring not only previous students’ athleticism but also their academic achievements, Tippett mentioned how this tribute may encourage current students to strive. Tippett expressed, “I would hope that students, when they drive past that, they realize that that takes a special human being.” As of now the street name will remain “Jalen Williams Way” for a period of time as an honor for the Star Player.
