The Oklahoma City Thunder are NBA champions for the first time after defeating the Indiana Pacers in seven games on Sunday night, and one bettor is six figures richer because of it.
A bettor at MGM in Las Vegas wagered $1.05 million on the Thunder to win the finals at -700 odds on June 4 before the series began — a wager that cashed $150,000.
It was the largest reported wager on the series at legal sportsbooks in the United States. Rapper Jay-Z also wagered seven figures on the Thunder ($1 million at Fanatics Sportsbook), but his bet was for Oklahoma City to win the series in exactly five games.
Oklahoma City came into the series as an overwhelming favorite and was tied as the seventh-largest favorite in the Finals since 1969, according to Sports Odds History. Even down 2-1 in the series, the Thunder remained -250 favorites to win it all.
Oddsmakers were generally rooting for the Thunder in the series, as the big price was prohibitive for too much liability to build up on Oklahoma City — and the teams representing the worst outcomes for sportsbooks (the Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, etc.) had already been eliminated.
Also, as one oddsmaker noted, the Thunder play in a state where sports betting isn’t legal and don’t have a big fan base outside of their local market, leading to fewer futures wagers despite Oklahoma City being the favorite all season.
The Thunder opened as the clear favorites at sportsbooks to repeat in 2025-26 with +220 odds.
