The Indiana Pacers took a massive step toward their first NBA title in franchise history on Wednesday night, defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder to take a 2-1 lead in this year's championship series.
The Pacers will look to take a commanding 3-1 lead on Friday, but one top name in the music industry is already set to lose out after making a massive wager on the series.
TMZ Sports reported that rapper Jay-Z placed a $1 million bet with Fanatics Sportsbook on the 2025 NBA Finals, and that he picked the Oklahoma City Thunder to win in five games.
The bet would have won $3.3 million if it conveyed, but it's now impossible with Indiana having two wins in the series.
Jay-Z helped found Fanatics Sportsbook with CEO and entrepreneur Michael Rubin back in 2023, and he has an estimated net worth of $2.5 billion according to Forbes.
Both teams in the NBA Finals are looking to win their first ever championships. The Thunder technically inherited the 1979 championship won by the Seattle Sonics, but the franchise has not won a title since moving to Oklahoma City in 2009.
The Pacers are back in the Finals for the first time since 2000, where they were the first team to lose to the three-peating, Shaq and Kobe-led Los Angeles Lakers.
The Thunder have been the NBA's best team for the majority of the season, and boast the league's Most Valuable Player in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Indiana has been led by timely shooting and clutch heroics from a variety of different players, with star point guard Tyrese Haliburton leading the way.
Haliburton has hit several game-winning shots in these playoffs alone, including one to cap off Indiana's comeback effort in Game 1 on the road in Oklahoma City.
The Thunder will look to even the series on Friday as they did in Game 2 back at home, which could set up a competitive and evenly-matched series through the final games.
Fans can tune in to Game 4 of the 2025 NBA Finals between the Thunder and Pacers on Friday night at 8:30 PM on ABC.
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This story was originally published June 12, 2025 at 9:48 AM.