Living the Dream: Dillon Jones Makes Weber State Proud on NBA’s Biggest Stage

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Oklahoma City forward Dillon Jones (3) pulls in a rebound against New Orleans on April 13, 2025, in New Orleans.

Earlier this postseason, Dillon Jones became the sixth Weber State basketball alum to score points in a playoff game among 12 WSU alums to reach the NBA or ABA.

Wednesday, Jones tallied a first among former Wildcats: he’s the first to reach the NBA Finals.

Oklahoma City won an NBA record fifth game by 30 or more points Wednesday night, defeating Minnesota 124-94 to send the Timberwolves home in a 4-1 series victory to get the Thunder to the NBA Finals.

Jones tallied one rebound and one assist, the latter a driving no-look dish to Isaiah Joe for a layup, in the closeout game on OKC’s home floor.

Willie Sojourner (WSU 1971) reached and won the ABA Finals with the New York Nets in 1974. The Nets defeated the Utah Stars 4-1 in that series, led by ABA MVP Julius Erving. (Fun fact: the coining of Erving’s “Dr. J” nickname is credited to Sojourner.)

The rookie Jones has totaled 19 points, seven rebounds and four assists this playoffs over about 22 minutes in four appearances. Thirteen of those points came against Minnesota in the Western Conference Finals, including a 10-point night in Game 3. Jones shot 3 of 3 from the 3-point line against the T-Wolves.

Among WSU alumni to score in the playoffs, Damian Lillard unsurprisingly leads the group with 1,694 playoff points. Then it’s Sojourner with 102, Dan Sparks with 77, Eddie Gill with 24, Jones at 19 and Joel Bolomboy with four.

The Thunder await the winner of the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks in the NBA Finals. The Pacers, who have Gill doing commentary on radio broadcasts, enter Thursday with a 3-1 series lead.

Regardless of when the Eastern Conference Finals conclude, the NBA Finals are scheduled to begin Thursday, June 5. ABC will air all NBA Finals games.