One MGM bettor in Las Vegas is clearly a big believer in the Thunder as well, placing a $1.05 million wager Wednesday night on Oklahoma City at -700 odds to beat the Indiana Pacers in the series. The bet would win $150,000. It's the largest reported wager on the series so far at legal sportsbooks in the United States.

Music Mogul Jay-Z may have gone from rags to riches and back to rags again. The world-renowned artist placed one of the biggest bets of the year Thursday, wagering $1 million at the platform he is invested in, Fanatics Sportsbook, on the Thunder to defeat the Pacers in the NBA Finals in five games (4-1).

Sam Anderson, a staff writer for The Times Magazine, first wrote about the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2012. He is the author of “Boom Town” (2018), a book about the team and the city it calls home.