Jay-Z often gets hate for his sports-related moves, but rarely do they backfire on him in a direct way. That is, unless we're talking about an unsuccessful bet. According to TMZ, he put a whopping $1 million on the line and predicted the Oklahoma City Thunder would beat the Indiana Pacers in the 2025 NBA Finals in five games.
Unfortunately for Hov, the Pacers won game three last night (Wednesday, June 11), putting them up 2-1 against the Thunder. So we're either going to six or seven games. But fortunately for him, a million dollars isn't much in the grand scheme of his billions.
If the Roc Nation mogul had actually been successful with this bet, he would've walked away with $3.3 million. But thanks to big performances from Tyrese Haliburton, Bennedict Mathurin, Pascal Siakam, and more, Jay-Z will have to make another bet if he wants a plus payout.
However, we can't blame Jay for his confidence. The 2025 NBA Finals have been very surprising so far, with game-winning shots, blowouts, killer defense, and coaching adjustments throwing fans for a loop. If it keeps up like this and we get more close games, anyone who complained about small markets or particular players' "superstar" status is in for a rude awakening.
Jay-Z NBA Finals Bet
Of course, Jay-Z has plenty of other money moves which are a greater risk, but might reap even larger rewards. For example, he recently paid a visit to the New York State Capitol to advocate for Roc Nation's gaming license efforts and their vision to open a Caesars Palace casino in Times Square.
Not only that, but the Brooklyn rapper pledged last year to donate hundreds of millions of dollars in community grants if they secure their casino plans. We'll see if this goes better than this NBA Finals bet.
Meanwhile, Jay-Z's legal battle with Tony Buzbee continues. The lawyer recently filed to dismiss a defamation lawsuit against him from the East Coast MC. This stems from the attorney's representation of a plaintiff who accused Jay of sexual assault. They dropped the controversial case, but its fallout keeps going.
