Jay-Z Officially Lost $1 Million Betting on NBA Finals

It only took three games for Jay-Z's NBA Finals prediction to be proven wrong, and he's $1 million in the process.

Before the start of the Oklahoma City Thunder-Indiana Pacers series, Hov placed a $1 million wager at Fanatics Sportsbook on the Thunder to win the Finals in five games at +230 odds. If he had won the bet, he would have come away with $3.3 million.

JAY-Z bets $1 Million on OKC to win in 5 @RocNation @RocNationSports @Fanatics pic.twitter.com/27aysHGKSr
— Fanatics Sportsbook (@FanaticsBook) June 5, 2025

However, that bet was immediately in jeopardy after OKC dropped Game 1 of the Finals to the Pacers on a game-winning shot by Tyrese Haliburton in the closing seconds.

Not only did it mean that OKC would have to win four games in a row to win the bet, but it also meant that it would have to beat some tough historical trends. Teams that win Game 1 of the NBA Finals go on to win the series 70.5% of the time (55 of 88).

Well, the dream for the recording artist came to an end on Wednesday nght, as the Pacers took Game 3 of the Finals at home to take a 2-1 series lead, ending any hope of OKC closing things out in five games. Now, the Thunder can only win the series in six or seven games, and they need to win three of the next four meetings to capture the title.

Jay-Z placed a $1 million wager on the Oklahoma City Thunder to win the NBA Finals in five games at +230 odds at @FanaticsBook.

Bet would've won $3.3 million

He lost that wager tonight
— Ben Fawkes (@BFawkes22) June 12, 2025

Oddsmakers have set the Thunder as six-point favorites on the road in Game 4, and they're -225 on the moneyline (an implied probability of 69.23 percent) to even the series.

For Fanatics, getting a celebrity bet like this one from Jay-Z was not only a great marketing opportunity, but it also turned into a big win for the house. Hopefully, there weren't too many people that tailed Jay-Z in his quest to predict the exact outcome of these Finals.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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