Historical Series Between Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers
Despite negative predictions about audience attendance for the 2025 NBA Finals, featuring low-profile teams Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers, the numbers told a different story. According to Sports Media Watch figures, supported by the NBA, Game 7 between Thunder and Pacers became the most-watched Finals game since 2019. Oklahoma clinched the championship with a 103-91 victory at the Paycom Center.
Audience Records
The average viewership for Game 7 between Pacers and Thunder was 16.35 million across ABC and ESPN, as per Nielsen Fast-Nationals, making it the most-watched NBA Finals game since Game 6 of the 2019 Raptors vs. Warriors series, which had 18.59 million viewers.
The highest peak of transmission in the U.S. for the Thunder vs. Pacers Game 7 was 19.28 million viewers, though this is an average over the more than two hours played in Oklahoma.
Furthermore, the NBA reported that the 2025 postseason averaged 6.12 million viewers per game, marking a 10% increase from 2024 when the Boston Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks.
Social Media Engagement
In comparison to the previous year, NBA saw a 215% increase in views of official content across all social media platforms during the Finals, reaching 5 billion. The Thunder’s victory also ranked fourth among non-football sports events in audience over the past 12 months, following the 2024 World Series Game 5 between Dodgers and Yankees (18.15 million), the NCAA men’s basketball championship between Florida and Houston (18.14 million), and the Kentucky Derby (16.7 million, according to Nielsen).
Historical Significance
On this historic day, both Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers were making history as neither had ever won an NBA Finals title. While Thunder was awarded the 1979 championship under its previous name, Seattle Supersonics, since moving to Oklahoma in 2008, this marks their highest achievement. Indiana Pacers, on the other hand, will continue seeking their first NBA Finals title after losses in the 1999-2000 season to Los Angeles Lakers and in the 2024-2025 season to Oklahoma City Thunder.
Economic Impact
The 2025 title also brought an economic windfall of $12.4 million to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
As per Marca and AS, the NBA playoff bond fund reached a record high this season at $34.7 million, with Thunder receiving the largest share not only for winning the championship but also for being the top seed in the regular season. This estimates around $828,000 per player on the winning team.
This represents the highest economic prize for a team champion in any major U.S. sports league, surpassing the NFL’s $357,000 and MLB’s $477,000.
Canadian player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was awarded the NBA Finals 2025 MVP, becoming only the second player to win both MVP and Finals MVP in the same season since LeBron James in 2013.
Key Questions and Answers
- What was the significance of the 2025 NBA Finals? The series between Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers broke audience records, with Game 7 being the most-watched NBA Finals game since 2019. The postseason averaged 6.12 million viewers per game, a 10% increase from the previous year.
- How did the Thunder’s victory impact prize money? The 2025 title brought an economic prize of $12.4 million to the Oklahoma City Thunder, with each player receiving an estimated $828,000. This is the highest economic prize for a team champion in major U.S. sports leagues, surpassing NFL and MLB.
- What was the historical significance of this series? Neither Oklahoma City Thunder nor Indiana Pacers had previously won an NBA Finals title. The Thunder’s victory marked their highest achievement since relocating from Seattle in 2008, while the Pacers continue their quest for a first championship.
