The NBA Finals tips off Thursday night with the Indiana Pacers visiting the Oklahoma City Thunder and one famous New Yorker has put his money where his mouth is.
Brooklyn, New York native Jay-Z placed a $1 million dollar wager with Fanatics Sportsbook that the heavily favored Thunder will be the next NBA champion and finish the series in exactly five games.
Key Takeaways
- New York music icon Jay-Z bets $1 million on Thunder to win in exactly five games.
- .If successful, he would win $2.2 million.
- .Jay-Z, along with founder Michael Rubin, launched Fanatics Sportsbook in 2023.
The music icon is familiar with the betting platform as he helped launch Fanatics Sportsbook alongside founder Michael Rubin just two years ago.
The bet was placed at +230 odds - so if the Thunder win in exactly five games - Jay-Z will be paid out $3.3 million for his foresight.
JAY-Z bets $1 Million on OKC to win in 5 @RocNation @RocNationSports @Fanatics pic.twitter.com/27aysHGKSr
— Fanatics Sportsbook (@FanaticsBook) June 5, 2025
He also would net $9,300 in FanCash as part of the company's rewards program.
Going the other way
Fanatics Sportsbook also announced that one anonymous Colorado bettor went the opposite way, taking the Pacers to win the series at +700, wagering $127,667 for a potential payout of $1.02 million.
For tonight's first game, the Thunder are currently -10 on the point spread and are an overwhelming favorite to win the series at -700 at Fanatics Sportsbook.
Last September, Jay-Z cut the ribbon, along with Rubin, at the grand opening of the first brick-and-mortar Fanatics Sportsbook at the Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City.
The NBA Finals come on the heels of the second annual Fanatics Fest at the Jacob Javits Center in New York (June 20-22).
