OKC storms to first NBA title with Game 7 win over Pacers

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🚨 Headlines

⛳️ Lee wins third major: Australia’s Minjee Lee (-4) won the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship by three strokes to capture her third major title at age 29. The key to victory: her much-improved putting game.

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⚽️ Perfect start: The USMNT beat Haiti, 2-1, on Sunday to complete a perfect Gold Cup group stage. Next up: Costa Rica in the quarterfinals this Sunday.

🏈 Wisconsin sues Miami: In a landmark moment in college athletics, the University of Wisconsin is suing the University of Miami for poaching defensive back Xavier Lucas from their program.

⚾️ Washington steps away: Angels manager Ron Washington, 73, will be out indefinitely due to an undisclosed health concern. Bench coach Ray Montgomery will take over in his absence.

🏒 Toews returns: Blackhawks legend Jonathan Toews, who sat out the past two seasons due to health issues, is making a comeback at age 37 after signing a two-year deal with the Jets.

🏆 OKC storms to first NBA title

Four years ago, the Thunder won 22 games. Three years ago, they won 24 games. On Sunday, they won an NBA championship with the league’s fourth-youngest roster and 25th-highest payroll. All hail, Sam Presti.

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The grand finale: OKC used a dominant second half to beat Indiana, 103-91, in Game 7 of the NBA Finals and win the franchise’s first title since it moved from Seattle to Oklahoma City in 2008.

• The tone of the game took a devastating turn in the first quarter when Tyrese Haliburton went down with an Achilles injury. The Pacers kept fighting without their star and led 48-47 at the break, but the momentum shifted dramatically after that.

• The swarming defense that has become the Thunder’s trademark took over in the third quarter and powered them to victory in front of their home crowd. OKC won the turnover battle 21-7 and finished with a 32-10 edge in points off turnovers.

What they’re saying: “So many hours, so many moments, so many emotions,” said Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who capped his epic season with a 29-point, 12-assist performance. “This group worked for it. We deserve this.”

Clean sweep: SGA is just the fourth player to win league MVP, Finals MVP and a scoring title in the same season, joining Shaquille O’Neal (2000), Michael Jordan (1991-92, 1996, 1998) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1971). The 26-year-old also won Conference Finals MVP for good measure.

A team for the ages: The 2024-25 Thunder were always going to be remembered as one of the best teams, statistically, in NBA history. By winning a championship, they cement their legacy in stone and solidify their case as one of the best teams, period.

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84-win club: OKC went 34-7 during the first half of the season, 34-7 during the second half, and 16-7 in the playoffs en route to becoming the fourth team in NBA history to win 84+ games.

• 2015-16 Warriors: 88-18 (lost Finals)

• 1995-96 Bulls: 87-13 (won Finals)

• 1996-97 Bulls: 84-17 (won Finals)

• 2024-25 Thunder: 84-21 (won Finals)

Words to live by: “Be where your feet are.” The Thunder adopted that mantra in 2023 to help them stay in the present moment, and it proved critical in helping them reach the NBA mountaintop, writes Yahoo Sports’ Ben Rohrbach.

Watch:

Looking ahead: This could be the start of a dynasty for the Thunder, who enter the offseason with no notable free agents and will be a popular pick to repeat in 2026. They opened as +240 title favorites at BetMGM, the shortest preseason title odds for any team since the 2018-19 Warriors.

🏀 Blockbuster: KD to Houston

Kevin Durant is on the move again. After stints in Seattle/Oklahoma City (2007-16), Golden State (2016-19), Brooklyn (2019-23) and Phoenix (2023-25), the future Hall of Famer is headed to Houston.

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The trade:

• Rockets get: Durant

• Suns get: Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, 2025 first-round pick (No. 10), five second-round picks

What he’s saying: “Being part of the Houston Rockets, I’m looking forward to it,” said Durant, who found out about the trade while onstage at Fanatics Fest on Sunday. “It’s a crazy, crazy couple weeks, but I’m glad it’s over with.”

Instant contenders: The trade had an immediate impact on title odds, as the Rockets moved from the 12-1 range to +800 at BetMGM, trailing only the Thunder (+240), Cavaliers (+700) and Knicks (+700).

Traded thrice: Durant, 36, has now been traded three times (Warriors → Nets → Suns → Rockets). The collective return:

• Mikal Bridges

• Dillon Brooks

• Jae Crowder

• Treveon Graham

• Jalen Green

• Cam Johnson

• Shabazz Napier

• D’Angelo Russell

• 5 first-round picks

• 5 second-round picks

• 1 pick swap

The last word, via Yahoo Sports’ Vincent Goodwill:

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Durant has his next town, another restart, another chance to shake free of whatever’s chasing him. Perhaps Houston is his last stop. Or maybe it’s just his next stop.

🏆 LSU is back on top

LSU swept Coastal Carolina over the weekend to win its second Men’s College World Series title in three years and eighth title overall, second only to USC (12).

Title towns: While the Trojans have more hardware, their most recent championship was in 1998. The Tigers, on the other hand, have now won four titles this century, the most of any program.

• USC (12): 1948, 1958, 1961, 1963, 1968, 1970-74, 1978, 1998

• LSU (8): 1991, 1993, 1996-97, 2000, 2009, 2023, 2025

Weekend recap: Coastal Carolina entered the championship series on a historic 26-game winning streak — then lost back-to-back games for the first time since March.

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• Game 1: Sophomore Kade Anderson tossed the first complete game shutout in the MCWS since 2018 (130 pitches, 10 strikeouts, 3 hits) to lift LSU to a 1-0 victory and make a strong case to be picked No. 1 in this year’s MLB draft.

Conference of champions: The SEC is the first league to produce six consecutive baseball national champions.

• 2019: Vanderbilt

• 2021: Mississippi State

• 2022: Ole Miss

• 2024: Tennessee

Good read: 10 future MLB draftees who stood out in Omaha (Jake Mintz, Yahoo Sports)

👊 Jon Jones’ complicated legacy

“Jon Jones called us last night and retired.”

That’s how it ended, according to UFC CEO Dana White. The man who would be GOAT called it a career on Saturday via late-night phone call… hours before news broke that he’s facing yet another criminal charge.

A complicated legacy: If this is it for Jones, it’s a laughably anticlimactic end to a great though troubled career. The single most consistent part of his story was that he always remained the greatest threat to his own ambitions — and the only limit on his own ability, writes Uncrowned’s Ben Fowlkes:

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No one could stop him in the cage. Outside of it, he couldn’t stop himself from lighting it all on fire, then begging for mercy and swearing to be better from now on, then doing it again.

He was our spoiled genius, a petulant boy king who kept threatening to finally grow up but never really did. He also might have been the greatest fighter this sport has ever known, but he couldn’t ever stay focused on that goal long enough to keep showing up in ways that would have removed all doubt.

Is this really the last we see of Jones in the UFC? I kind of doubt it. I think once he sees how quickly the sport and the heavyweight division moves on without him — and once he sees what life is like as a former UFC champ — he’ll want back in. I’d be surprised if, by this time next year, he’s still as retired as he claims.

But if it is the end, his legacy won’t be a simple one. And it won’t be one that he alone gets to dictate. Jones’ story is about greatness, but it’s also about the price of it.

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Here was a man who was so good and gifted at this one specific thing that he almost couldn’t help but take it for granted. He treated his peerless career like it was a toy he could dangle out the window of a moving car, just for the thrill of seeing how close he could come to losing it entirely.

We watched in awe of the fighter, then shook our heads in weary dismay at the man. We end (or so we’re told) by repeating that pattern.

There goes Jon Jones, maybe the greatest of all time. But also maybe not. We’re sad to see him go with business left unfinished. But also maybe we’re not.

Read the full story →

📊 By the numbers

⚾️ 31 home runs

Cal Raleigh’s torrid season reached new heights over the weekend, as the Mariners’ catcher became just the ninth player in MLB history to hit 30+ home runs through his team’s first 75 games. The other eight? Babe Ruth, Roger Maris, Reggie Jackson, Ken Griffey Jr., Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, Luis Gonzalez and Barry Bonds.

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Historic pace: Raleigh is on pace for 66 homers, which would be tied for the third-most ever and shatter the previous record for a catcher (Salvador Perez: 48) and switch-hitter (Mickey Mantle: 54).

🎾 18 straight wins

Carlos Alcaraz won the Queen’s Club Championship to capture his fifth title of the season and extend his career-best winning streak to 18 matches. Safe to say the defending Wimbledon champion is feeling good as the third major of the year approaches.

⛳️ 72nd hole

USA Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley (-15) won the Travelers Championship in a thrilling finish that came down to the 72nd and final hole, where he drained his birdie putt to overtake playing partner Tommy Fleetwood (-14) and earn himself a cool $3.6 million.

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Looking ahead: Could Bradley serve as captain and play for Team USA at the 2025 Ryder Cup? He’d be the first playing captain since Arnold Palmer in 1962. “I will play if I feel like it will help the team,” he said Sunday.

📺 Watchlist: Monday, June 23

⚽️ Inter Miami vs. Palmeiras | 9pm ET, TBS

Fresh off a historic victory over FC Porto, Inter Miami host Brazilian giant Palmeiras in South Florida, where Lionel Messi and friends can book a spot in the Club World Cup Round of 16 with a win or draw (or maybe even a loss).

⚾️ Mariners at Twins | 7:40pm, FS1

Seattle’s Bryan Woo (6-4, 3.12 ERA) takes the mound against Minnesota’s Bailey Ober (4-4, 4.54 ERA). Can Cal Raleigh keep mashing?

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Today’s full slate →

⚾️ MLB trivia

Sammy Sosa returned to Wrigley Field for the first time in 21 years on Friday, where the 1998 NL MVP received a standing ovation from the Cubs faithful.

Question: Sosa spent the majority of his career with the Cubs but also played for three other teams. Can you name them?

Hint: American League.

Answer at the bottom.

🍿 Baker’s Dozen: Top plays of the weekend

Watch all 13 →

Trivia answer: White Sox (3 years), Rangers (2 years), Orioles (1 year)

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