How much prize money do Thunder players earn for winning 2025 NBA Finals vs Indiana Pacers?
The Oklahoma City Thunder have finally done it. After years of rebuilding, the team is now on top of the basketball world. They beat the Indiana Pacers 103-91 in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals to win their first title since relocating from Seattle in 2008.
But aside from the trophy, what do the players actually get? The answer: a pretty sweet bonus.
How much do Oklahoma City Thunder players get?
Winning the NBA Finals isn't just about lifting the trophy. There's also serious money involved. The Oklahoma City Thunder will take home a huge share of the NBA's playoff prize pool after beating the Indiana Pacers in Game 7. The total amount given to the winning team this year is over $13 million, and that's before other bonuses and team incentives.
To Oklahoma with love 🫶 pic.twitter.com/J3YWTeL1bE — OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) June 23, 2025
According to Diario AS and NBA, that prize pool gets split among players, coaches, and support staff. But if we focus just on the players, and assume a standard 15-man playoff roster, each player is set to receive around $828,000. That's a massive reward for a long, gruelling season and a historic run.
To compare, NFL players only get around $157,000 for winning the conference title and another $200,000 for the Super Bowl win. So yes, NBA Finals champions earn more than double what NFL winners do.
For rookies and younger players on smaller contracts, this bonus can be more than 25% of their annual salary. And even for stars like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, it's still a well-earned prize for leading this team to glory. There may be bigger contracts and endorsements out there, but nothing beats winning a ring and getting a nice check to go with it.
What happened in the Thunder vs Pacers Game 7?
The final showdown between the Thunder and Pacers was intense. With everything on the line, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander stepped up once again. He scored 29 points and had 12 assists, leading the team to victory in front of a wild home crowd at Paycom Center.
THE OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER ARE WORLD CHAMPIONSpic.twitter.com/6D6suk3YcZ — Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) June 23, 2025
He didn't just help his team win, Shai also took home Finals MVP, adding to his regular-season MVP and scoring title. He became the first player since Shaquille O'Neal in 2002 to win all three in the same year.
The Pacers fought hard, but their hopes took a big hit early when Tyrese Haliburton suffered what looked like an Achilles injury. He had started strong, hitting three early three-pointers, but left the game in tears after slipping in the first quarter.
Still, Indiana stayed in the fight. TJ McConnell scored 12 points in the third quarter, while Bennedict Mathurin led the team overall with 24 points off the bench. But OKC's talent and energy proved too much in the final stretch
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