The Oklahoma City Thunder are NBA champions—for the first time in franchise history since relocating from Seattle in 2008. In a raucous Paycom Center, the Thunder defeated the Indiana Pacers 103–91 in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, capping off a 68-win season with a championship that felt both inevitable and hard-earned.
League MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander delivered a performance for the ages: 29 points, 12 assists, 5 rebounds, and a pair of blocks. With that, he became the first player since Shaquille O’Neal in 2000 to win the scoring title, regular-season MVP, and Finals MVP in the same year.
“It doesn’t feel real,” Gilgeous-Alexander said postgame. “So many hours, so many moments, so many emotions… This group put in the work. We deserve this”.
The game took a heartbreaking turn for Indiana just five minutes in. Tyrese Haliburton, already nursing a calf strain, collapsed with a non-contact Achilles injury and was ruled out for the remainder of the game. The Pacers, who led 48–47 at halftime, fought valiantly behind Bennedict Mathurin’s 24 points and 13 rebounds, but the emotional and tactical blow proved too much to overcome.
With the game tied at 56 midway through the third, OKC erupted on a 25–12 run, fueled by Jalen Williams (20 points) and Chet Holmgren (18 points, 8 rebounds, 5 blocks). The Thunder’s defense clamped down, forcing 21 Pacers turnovers that led to 32 points—a decisive swing in a game of inches.
As the final buzzer sounded, confetti rained down and the crowd erupted. Mark Daigneault, in just his fifth season as head coach, hoisted the Larry O’Brien Trophy alongside a roster that is now the second-youngest championship team in NBA history.
The win also marked the seventh different NBA champion in seven years, a testament to the league’s growing parity—and OKC’s rise from rebuild to royalty.
