The Oklahoma City Thunder are overwhelming favorites to win the 2025 NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers. Jay-Z just jumped on the bandwagon in a big way.
The rap mogul has placed a $1 million bet for the Thunder to not just win, but to win in exactly five games, Fanatics Sportsbook announced Thursday. If the Thunder pull that off, it will pay Jay-Z $3.3 million.
That’s more than what Thunder backup big man Jaylin Williams is making this season.
Overall, the Thunder are currently -700 favorites at BetMGM to win their first title since moving to OKC. That’s not just their best odds to win a title in franchise history, it’s the most any team in the Finals has been favored since the 2018 Golden State Warriors, who were in their second season with Kevin Durant.
With odds that short, Jay-Z might have been looking for value with a series score bet. Meanwhile, a different bettor didn’t seem to mind the odds too much, dropping $1.05 million on the Thunder to win outright at MGM. A Thunder win would net the bettor $150,000.
The defensively dominant Thunder are a bad matchup for the Pacers in all kind of ways, but Indiana has made a habit of stunning teams in these NBA playoffs. They took down the other 60-win team this season, the Cleveland Cavaliers, in the second round and have three different seven-point comebacks in the final minute of play.
Game 1 is scheduled for Thursday (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) at OKC’s Paycom Center. While many bettors have put money on an Indiana upset in the Finals, OKC is favored to take the series opener by 9.5 points.
