The Oklahoma City Thunder are NBA champions for the first time in franchise history since relocating from Seattle — but their coronation came with heartbreak on the other side.
Behind a masterful performance from MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a suffocating third quarter surge, the Thunder defeated the Indiana Pacers 103-91 in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals on Sunday night. The win sealed a 4-3 series triumph and capped one of the most dominant and dramatic seasons in league history.
Yet, the game may be most remembered for a gut-wrenching moment early in the first quarter, when Indiana star Tyrese Haliburton collapsed to the floor while driving to the basket. He had to be helped off the court, and later was seen on crutches embracing teammates after the game. His father confirmed the injury was a torn right Achilles tendon — a devastating end to what had been a brilliant playoff run for the All-NBA guard.
The Thunder’s championship marks a full-circle turnaround for a franchise that won just 22 games in 2020–21. Just four years later, Oklahoma City now stands atop the basketball world. They finished the 2024–25 regular season with 68 wins — the seventh-most in NBA history — and set a league record for point differential. They matched the 1996–97 Chicago Bulls with 84 combined regular season and playoff wins, trailing only the 2016–17 Warriors (88) and 2015–16 Warriors (87) for most all-time.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander once again proved his superstar credentials, scoring 29 points and dishing 12 assists in Game 7. Jalen Williams added 20 points and Chet Holmgren contributed 18 as the youngest team in nearly 50 years to win an NBA title capped off its fairytale season in front of a raucous Paycom Center crowd.
“This was for the city, for everyone that stuck with us,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “From 22 wins to this moment — we believed, and now we’re champions.”
The Pacers, playing in their first Finals since the ABA-NBA merger, led 48-47 at halftime despite losing Haliburton just over seven minutes into the game. Indiana hung in through sheer grit, but the loss of their floor general and leader proved insurmountable.
The Thunder outscored Indiana 34-20 in the third quarter, breaking open the game and building a double-digit lead they would never relinquish. Bennedict Mathurin led the Pacers with 24 points and 13 rebounds, while Pascal Siakam added 18.
The Pacers had clawed their way from a 10-15 start to within 48 minutes of a championship. They had led the series 1-0 and 2-1, but the Haliburton injury derailed their momentum in the deciding game.
“Tyrese is our heart,” Siakam said postgame. “He carried us here. We were fighting for him out there tonight.”
The Thunder now join the exclusive club of NBA champions — becoming the seventh different team to win the title in the past seven years, highlighting an era of parity not seen before in league history.
It is the second title for the franchise overall. The Seattle SuperSonics, the Thunder’s predecessor, won the NBA championship in 1979. Now, Oklahoma City will finally hang a banner of its own — one earned by a new generation of stars.
“We did it the right way,” said head coach Mark Daigneault. “We built through the draft, stuck to the process, and trusted each other. This group is just getting started.”
The Thunder’s youth and cohesion suggest that this might be just the beginning of a new dynasty. But on this night, amid confetti and tears, the journey’s end was all that mattered.
In October, Oklahoma City will raise its first banner. And it’ll be theirs — no asterisk, no carryover from another city. A Thunder championship, for the Thunder fans, at last.
