The ticker-tape is barely swept up from the streets of downtown Oklahoma City, but the questions are already flying. Who won the NBA Finals this year? Honestly, if you weren’t glued to your screen on June 22, 2025, you missed one of the most statistically absurd and emotionally draining finales in the history of the sport.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are your 2025 NBA Champions.
They took down the Indiana Pacers in a grueling seven-game slugfest that felt more like a chess match played with sledgehammers. It wasn't just a win; it was a coronation for a franchise that has been "scary in a few years" for what feels like a decade. Now, that future is finally here.
The Night Oklahoma City Stood Still
Game 7 at the Paycom Center was electric. The Thunder walked away with a 103-91 victory, but the final score doesn’t really tell the story of how close Indiana came to spoiling the party. Basically, the Pacers were the ultimate road warriors throughout the playoffs, and for the first 24 minutes of Game 7, they looked like they might actually pull off the unthinkable.
They led 48-47 at the half. Think about that.
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The Thunder had won 68 games in the regular season—the best in the league by a mile—and they were trailing a fourth-seeded Pacers team at home in the biggest game of their lives. But the third quarter changed everything. OKC came out and dropped 34 points in twelve minutes, suffocating the Pacers with a defensive intensity that Indiana just couldn't match without their floor general.
The Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Era
You can't talk about who won the NBA Finals this year without talking about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He didn't just win the Finals MVP; he put together a season that puts him in the same breath as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. SGA is now one of only two players to ever win the regular-season MVP, the scoring title, and the Finals MVP by the age of 26.
In the clincher, he was surgical:
- 29 points
- 12 assists (a playoff career-high)
- 5 rebounds
- 2 blocks
He stayed calm when the Pacers went on their signature runs. Even when Tyrese Haliburton went down, Shai didn't let the Thunder lose focus. He played 40 minutes and looked like he could have played 40 more.
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What Happened to the Indiana Pacers?
It’s kinda heartbreaking if you’re a Pacers fan. They weren't even supposed to be here according to most analysts, yet they set an NBA postseason record with five different 15-point comebacks. They were the team that refused to die.
But the luck ran out 7 minutes into Game 7.
Tyrese Haliburton, who had been the heart of their high-octane offense, collapsed with a non-contact right Achilles injury. It was one of those "hush the crowd" moments where you just knew. Even without him, Bennedict Mathurin played like a man possessed, putting up 24 points and 13 rebounds off the bench. Pascal Siakam and T.J. McConnell chipped in 16 each, but the offensive engine was gone. Without Haliburton's playmaking, the Pacers' rhythm became a stutter.
The Statistical Freak-Show
This Thunder team is young. Like, second-youngest-ever-to-win-a-title young. Only the 1977 Portland Trail Blazers were younger when they lifted the trophy.
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General Manager Sam Presti has been hoarding draft picks and talent like a survivalist, and it finally paid off in the most dominant way possible. Between the regular season and the playoffs, this team won 84 games. That ties them with the 1996-97 Chicago Bulls for the third-most wins in a single season.
They also finished the year with a cumulative point differential of +1,243. That is the largest in the history of the NBA. Let that sink in. They didn't just beat teams; they erased them.
Key Contributors Behind the Trophy
While SGA got the hardware, the "supporting cast" is basically a group of future All-Stars. Jalen Williams—or "J-Dub"—scored 20 points in Game 7 and was arguably the most versatile defender in the series. Then you have Chet Holmgren.
Chet finished the clincher with 18 points and 5 blocks. He was the rim protector the Thunder needed to negate Indiana’s paint scoring. The way he moves at that height still doesn't look real. Isaiah Hartenstein, the big free-agent splash from the previous summer, proved his weight in gold by controlling the boards and giving OKC the physical edge they lacked in previous years.
Why This Championship Feels Different
We are currently in a period of total NBA chaos, and I love it. The Thunder are the seventh different champion in the last seven seasons. That’s the longest stretch of parity in league history. Gone are the days of the Golden State or Cleveland dynasties where we knew the Finals matchup in October.
The 2025 Finals was also the first time since 2006 that both cities were looking for their first-ever NBA title. Oklahoma City finally has its own trophy—not one "inherited" from the Seattle SuperSonics era (though technically it's the franchise's second).
What’s Next for the League?
The "Thunder Dynasty" talk has already started, and honestly, it’s hard to argue against it. They have the MVP, the depth, and—scarily enough—they still have a mountain of draft picks to use in trades.
For the rest of the league, the blueprint is clear but impossible to replicate:
- Patience is a virtue: Don't skip steps in a rebuild.
- Drafting matters: J-Dub and Chet were home-grown.
- Internal growth: SGA went from a "very good" player to an "all-time" player in three seasons.
If you’re looking to catch up on the action, the full Game 7 replay is available on the NBA App, and the championship parade in Oklahoma City is already being hailed as the biggest event in the state's history.
Actionable Insights for Fans
If you're following the fallout of who won the NBA Finals this year, here is what you should keep an eye on:
- Monitor Tyrese Haliburton’s recovery: An Achilles injury for a point guard who relies on shiftiness is a major concern for the 2025-26 season.
- Watch the 2025 NBA Draft: The Thunder have enough capital to potentially move up and add even more young talent to a championship roster.
- Check the Betting Lines: OKC is already the odds-on favorite to repeat in 2026, but keep an eye on the New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves, who both pushed the finalists to the brink in the conference finals.
The 2024-25 season was a marathon that ended in a sprint. Oklahoma City didn't just win the NBA Finals; they changed the hierarchy of the league for the foreseeable future.