Drake Drops $800K Bet on OKC Thunder, But Is the "Drake Curse" Lurking Courtside Again?

On Wednesday night, the Toronto rapper Drake bragged, cursed, and spoke stick that would make Tina Turner proud in saying he was risking blistering $800,000 on the Oklahoma City Thunder to close the deal in Game 6 against the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night in Indianapolis. And that's not all. In classic Champagne Papi style, he also tacked on an additional $200,000 prop bet that the Thunder would win by more than six and more than 10 points.

If all goes well, Drake could earn about $1.73 million. But this flashy bet isn't inspirational for many basketball fans but reminiscent.

For years, it has been a running joke online that if any athlete or team receives the Drake co-sign, then that athlete or team is doomed to fail. The lore runs deep: Who could forget when Conor McGregor got KO'd following a photo op with Drake? Or the time Anthony Joshua lost his heavyweight belt to Andy Ruiz Jr. after chilling with the champ? And don't mention that the 2019 Golden State Warriors are still a sore subject for some.

So it's no wonder fans didn't just see a bet when Drizzy packed Heat gear into a box and called it a bet in an Instagram Story he directed at Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Saturday. They saw an omen.

To be sure, the curse hasn't been 100 percent. Drake watched his hometown team, the Toronto Raptors, win the NBA trophy in 2019. The Kansas City Chiefs, who Drake also backs, won a Lombardi Trophy not long ago. But also, if you've lost over $8 million on bets in the past month alone (as Drake himself confirmed), perhaps it's best to give the roulette wheel a rest.

Even more dramatic, JAY-Z also bet $1 million on the Thunder, but he bet on the team to win in five games. Indiana's Game 3 win erased that possibility, negating Hov's bet. So now, all eyes are on Game 6.

If the Thunder wins, it will be their first NBA title since moving from Seattle. Shai and crew are up 3–2, so Shai will have to launch repeatedly, but the Pacers are playing for their playoff lives, desperate to muscle this series into a Game 7.

So, will Drake's bet be remembered as a stroke of genius or another item on the "curse" ticking belt?

One thing is for sure: basketball fans everywhere will be tuning in when the ball is tipped up on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. ET. The games and the lack of a man who doesn't quite manage to stay out of the sports spotlight no matter how it graces him.