‘Just a blessing’ for Wallace to face childhood friend
Cason Wallace and Keyonte George are close in more ways than one.
They were born just one day apart on Nov. 7 and 8, 2003, respectively. The two Texans also grew up close by in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Wallace is from Richardson, while George is from Lewisville.
Wallace and George developed a close friendship over the years, celebrating birthdays together and spending countless days at each other’s homes. And as the Oklahoma City Thunder hosted the Utah Jazz on Monday, their paths crossed once again.
Wallace helped the Thunder earn a 134-120 win over George’s Jazz in a game that marked the first professional meeting between the childhood friends.
“It was great,” Wallace said. “We grew up together, and we finally got to share the moment we’ve both been dreaming of.”
Both Wallace and George capitalized on that moment.
George got the start and racked up 30 points on 10-for-17 shooting (5 for 9 from deep), shattering his previous career high of 21 points.
The 6-foot-4 rookie hit pull-up 3pointers over Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He sank sky-scraping floaters over Chet Holmgren. He was a rare bright spot on a Utah team that has lost five of its last six games.
Wallace also got the start in place of Lu Dort (ankle) and finished with 10 points on 4-for-8 shooting, but he shined on the other side of the ball.
The 6-foot-3 rookie played the role of Jordan Clarkson’s shadow, staying attached to him throughout the night. Clarkson entered Monday averaging 17.6 points per game, but he struggled to get much going.
Wallace blocked a pair of Clarkson’s shots and held him to just eight points on 3-for-13 shooting (0 for 4 from deep).
“It’s just a blessing,” George said of the matchup with Wallace. “Not a lot of people who have that type of friendship get to the same thing. We got to the highest level of basketball, and that was our goal. It’s a small chance that something like that happens.”
Wallace and George haven’t always played against each other.
Wallace and George were around 8-9 years old when they played for Thunder Elite. The AAU team had a logo that, ironically, was almost the exact same as that of the OKC Thunder.
“That’s kind of a coincidence that (Wallace) got drafted to there,” George said with a chuckle. “I mean, we had the same logo and everything.”
Wallace and George ultimately played for different high schools, but they remained as close as could be on the recruiting boards.
The five-star prospects graduated as the top two players in Texas for the 2022 class, according to 247Sports. George ranked eighth in the nation, while Wallace ranked 10th.
Wallace then spent one season at Kentucky before getting selected by OKC with the No. 10 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. George got picked No. 16 overall by Utah after a lone season at Baylor.
“He was doing his thing (at Baylor), too,” Wallace said of George. “He’s here for a reason because he’s a great scorer. He’ll be in the league for a while.”
Wallace also hopes to be in the league for a while, which means he’ll get more matchups against George.
Those future battles are something to look forward to for the childhood friends, who’ve come a long way since their days in the DFW area.
“Not a lot of people get to touch this league,” George said. “Not a lot of people are lucky enough. Not a lot of people get the opportunity. I think we were both blessed with the talent that we have and the opportunity that we got. We made the most of it.”