The Oklahoma City Thunder are the 2025 NBA champions after outlasting the Indiana Pacers in a thrilling seven-game series. Oklahoma City captured its first title Sunday night behind a standout performance from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, becoming the seventh different team in the last seven years to win it all.
And even though the celebration for this year’s title has just begun, it’s not too early to look ahead to next season. Will the Thunder be able to pull off a repeat? No NBA team has done so since the Golden State Warriors won back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018, but the oddsmakers are very high on Oklahoma City.
The Thunder, at +220, are already significant betting favorites to win the 2026 title, according to FanDuel.
Oklahoma City is well positioned for long-term success with a core that includes Gilgeous-Alexander (the MVP of both the regular season and Finals), Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams and other key role players.
Here is where all 30 teams stand, as of now, to win the 2026 title, per FanDuel.
2026 NBA championship odds
Rockets have fourth-best odds after Durant trade
At +220, the Thunder have opened as the strongest championship favorites since the 2021-22 Brooklyn Nets settled at +240. Oklahoma City opened last summer tied with the Dallas Mavericks (+950) as the team with the fourth-best odds behind the Boston Celtics, Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves to win the 2025 title.
Right behind Oklahoma City are the Cleveland Cavaliers and the New York Knicks. Two top contenders to come out of the Eastern Conference are tied for the second-best odds (+650) to win the title next summer.
Rounding out the top five are teams that have already gotten a headstart in reshaping their respective rosters for the 2025-26 season: the Houston Rockets (+850) and the Orlando Magic (+950). The Rockets pulled off a blockbuster Sunday by acquiring future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant from the Phoenix Suns. The Magic, meanwhile, landed Desmond Bane from the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Pacers reached the NBA Finals for the first time in 25 years, but getting back to the biggest stage in the sport won’t be easy, especially with the uncertainty surrounding star guard Tyrese Haliburton, who suffered an Achilles injury in Game 7. The Pacers were listed at +1200 entering Game 7 on Sunday but fell all the way to +6000 after the injury to Haliburton.
