There is a basketball hoop inside the Bears’ locker room at Halas Hall. Not the 10-foot regulation size, but something that allows the players to let loose and compete while fitting within a relatively short ceiling. 

Duos of players will often compete in a condensed version of around the world. One player on each team will have to make shots at specific locations around the hoop, return to the start and then have their partner do the same. 

Whoever can accomplish that the fastest wins. 

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Three days after the Bears defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers and two days before Chicago’s matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles, Caleb Williams and Jahdae Walker teamed up in the basketball competition. Although the games were played on an 8-foot rim, you wouldn’t know it based on how energetic yet serious Williams and Walker were with all of the opposition they faced. 

After shots with little arch, because of the lower ceiling, were made, the two yelled out in excitement. Williams and Walker took down each opponent for the 45-minute allotment that the media was allowed in the locker room. At one point, the duo had reached eight-straight victories. 

“We never lost, by the way, in that basketball game,” Walker said. “We always, we always used to beat the defense because we never really played the offense, but we always used to beat the defense.”

When Walker first got to Chicago, Williams allowed him to stay at his house while he searched for a spot of his own. Williams enjoys Walker’s character and his infectious energy, and Walker enjoyed living with his quarterback. 

The connection between the former No. 1 overall pick and the undrafted rookie grew, and grew to the point that Williams texted Walker after a home game earlier in the season, asking if he would meet him at the Bears’ indoor practice facility, the Walker Payton Center, to run routes. 

“We went to the indoor (practice facility) and we were in there for like 3-4 hours,” Walker said. “Just going through routes, running through routes. He was working on his scramble drill. And that showed me how much of a leader he is and how much he cares about processing his work ethic and how he performs and the way he prepares for each game. It’s crazy.”

Fast forward to last Saturday night. The Bears were without two of their top three receivers in Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III. That allowed Walker to showcase his skills in front of a nationally televised audience in the Bears’ biggest game of the season against the NFC North rival Green Bay Packers. 

Walker caught Williams’ first pass of the game, a 15-yard in-breaking route on Chicago’s opening possession. But it was the Bears’ last offensive play in regulation that cemented the moment wasn’t too big for a player who started his college career at Division II Grand Valley State. 

With the Bears trailing by seven with 24 seconds left in the game, Walker found open space in the back right corner of the end zone, and Williams delivered a pass with pressure in his face. The 6-foot-3, 206-pound receiver came down with both feet in bounds and hit the Jubi Slide to celebrate. 

“Whoever’s on that field in that time, I trust them, that they’re going to do their job and go make plays when the ball is in the air …,” Williams said after the game. “We’ve gone in the indoor and worked out. Just being able to build that connection with him for moments like this. Throughout the week, having belief and trust in him. Throughout the week, communicate with him exactly what I want, exactly where he needs to be, him having faith, him having belief, and what I’m saying, what the coaches are saying. He goes out there, makes the plays and he’s in the right spot. The ball will find him and that’s what happened on that play.”

Walker’s touchdown catch tied the game at 16-16. After the Packers turned the ball over on downs in overtime, Williams connected with DJ Moore for the game-winning touchdown to defeat Green Bay, 22-16, and give the Bears their 11th win of the season. 

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The Bears took a chance on Walker and liked the size-and-speed combination he could add to the wide receiver room. But Walker’s ability to process the playbook also stood out to head coach Ben Johnson, and so did the energy he displayed throughout the entire summer. 

“I ain’t gonna lie, I’ve been energetic my whole life,” Walker said. “At (Texas) A&M, it was like really hot. I was just glad to be in some 80-degree weather. I’m like, ‘This is perfect.’ Like, I was tired at Texas. But during camp, it was fun, for real. I just felt like every day felt like recess. Like Declan (Doyle) said, it felt like recess. Like, every day I just get to play the game I love and do it with the people I love. So, I mean, can’t go wrong.”

Whether Walker is inside the locker room shooting hoops with Williams or catching touchdowns at Soldier Field, the Bears’ wide receiver is having fun competing and making the most of his opportunities as his team gets ready to make a playoff run.