Jay-Z Loses $1 Million on Bet That the Oklahoma City Thunder Would Win NBA Finals in 5 Games

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The Pacers took a 2-1 series lead after defeating the Thunder in Indianapolis on June 11

By

Natasha Dye

Natasha Dye, Writer/Reporter - Sports

Natasha Dye is a writer-reporter for PEOPLE covering sports. Her previous work appears in The New York Post and Popstar! Magazine.

Published on June 12, 2025 01:04PM EDT

Jay-Z; Tyrese Haliburton, Aaron Nesmith. Credit :

Monica Schipper/WireImage; Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty

NEED TO KNOW

  • Jay-Z lost $1 million on a bet that the Oklahoma City Thunder would win the NBA Finals in just five games
  • The Indiana Pacers won a second game of the series on June 11, meaning the Thunder need to play at least six games in the series to win
  • Game 4 of the NBA Finals tips off on Friday, June 13 in Indiana

The Oklahoma City Thunder did not come through for Jay-Z in the NBA Finals.

The 55-year-old music mogul was surely disappointed on Wednesday night when the Indiana Pacers won a second game in their championship series against the Thunder, losing him $1 million on a bet that they'd win in five games.

With the Pacers winning a second game, it is now impossible for the Thunder to win the series in five games. If he had won his bet, made with Fanatics Sportsbook, the "Empire State of Mind" rapper would have taken home $2.3 million.

Fanatics Sportsbook revealed the rapper's bet on June 5 in a post on X.

The rapper and husband to superstar Beyoncé is an investor in Fanatics, Michael Rubin's popular sports merchandising company.

Tyrese Haliburton and Aaron Nesmith of the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Finals.

Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty 

The Thunder dropped Game 1 in an epic fashion after losing a double-digit lead in the final quarter. Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton hit a game-winning shot with just 0.3 seconds left to steal the win.

Oklahoma City won Game 2 at home, but fell short again on Wednesday, June 11 at the Pacers' home arena, Gainbridge Fieldhouse, despite being 5.5-point favorites entering the game. Indiana won the third matchup of the series by a score of 116-107.

After the loss, Thunder star and 2025 NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said the Pacers "were aggressive" in Game 3, according to ClutchPoints. "They were high on the pick-and-rolls, they really were, like the coach said, more aggressive, more forceful."

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Gilgeous-Alexander took responsibility for the defeat and added, "It starts with me, but we gotta apply that pressure back."

Ahead of Game 4, the MVP said his team is focused on a win. “Learn from your mistakes, rest, recovery, do everything we can to be a better basketball team for next game… that’s it.”

Game 4 of the NBA Finals tips off on Friday, June 13 at 8:30 p.m. ET.