Canadian Rapper Drake Puts $800,000 on SGA and Thunder to Win NBA Championship in Game 6

The sixth game of the 2025 NBA Finals tips off Thursday night, with the Oklahoma City Thunder holding a 3–2 series lead over the Indiana Pacers. The Larry O’Brien Trophy is within reach for league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The spotlight is squarely on OKC and its Canadian superstar. However, one of rap music’s most notorious attention seekers, Drake, has stolen some of it.

On Instagram, Canadian music icon Drake announced a $600,000 wager on the Thunder to clinch the title in Game 6. If they win, he stands to win around $800,000. Justifying the bet as his way of showing support to Gilgeous-Alexander, he urged the point guard to “check that box”.

Drake also threw in an additional $200,000 on OKC winning by a margin of 6 to 10 points. That’s a riskier bet with a much bigger payout of $912,000. In total, Drake has $800,000 riding on Game 6, which is set to tip off tomorrow at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. However, there is also this significant jinx that people term as the ‘Drake curse’ as a factor.

If both bets come good, Drake could walk away with roughly $1.7 million. However, this self-serving post might not sit well with two of his fellow Canadians — Andrew Nembhard and Bennedict Mathurin, both of whom represent the Pacers. It could end up adding fuel to the fire for Tyrese Haliburton, too, who is a known Drake fan.

For Nembhard and Mathurin, Drake’s wager may sting as a betrayal. For Haliburton, it might add a layer of personal motivation to prove fandom will not ultimately override his competitive fire.

Do not be surprised if Indiana comes out swinging, using Drake’s antics as bulletin-board material. In trying to back Gilgeous-Alexander, Drake may have unwittingly ignited the Pacers’ locker room.

Meanwhile, Gilgeous-Alexander finds himself in the uncomfortable position of carrying Drake’s hopes and the weight of a nation. If he can tune out the noise and deliver, he will lift more than a trophy; he will help rewrite the curse. But if history holds, Drake’s involvement may doom the Thunder. Because when he bets, the precedent is losses.

Drake picked the San Francisco 49ers in the 2024 Super Bowl, but Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs came out on top. He staked $500,000 on the Edmonton Oilers in this year’s Stanley Cup Final, and they got bounced. He dropped $355,000 on Mike Tyson to beat Jake Paul — Tyson lost.

Then came $210,000 on Taylor Fritz at the US Open, another miss. And let’s not forget the $2 million he bet on Israel Adesanya at UFC 281, only for Alex Pereira to knock that dream out cold.

Drake is aware of this “curse”. He even addressed it last month, humbly accepting that he’s a “flawed sports better”.

“I will not deny that. That’s not my gift. I’ll let everybody roll with it. I’m sure if you’re a Drake curse believer, there will be plenty more content in the future to confirm your theories because my slips do not cash out. But one day I’m gonna have a parlay that’s insane,” Drake had said.

LeBron James and Jimmy Butler: Drake’s past NBA victims

Drake loves to bet on big occasions. And when it comes to LeBron James and Jimmy Butler, the stakes are usually high. In 2023, he decided to get his hands wet by putting money on James’ Lakers and Butler’s Heat to win their respective Game 2 matchups in the first round. The result? Both teams lost on the same night.

To be fair, most fans would’ve made the same call. The Lakers had just beaten the Grizzlies 128–112 in Game 1, and the Heat had taken down Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Bucks 130–117. So betting on them to keep the momentum going wasn’t exactly a wild move.

This time, though, Drake put his money on Indiana despite the Pacers looking well off their pace in Game 5. So, will the ‘Drake Curse’ strike again, this time in Indiana’s favor? Or has the star rapper finally got it right?