The 2025 NBA Finals tipped off on Thursday night with the Oklahoma City Thunder hosting the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the best-of-seven series.
The Thunder wore their white Association Edition uniforms, creating a classic home feel in their second Finals appearance since relocating from Seattle and rebranding from the SuperSonics in 2008-09.
The Pacers, meanwhile, wore their gold Statement Edition set after announcing ahead of the Eastern Conference Finals that they’ll be outfitted in that design for the remainder of the playoffs.
It could mark the only time we’ll see that uniform matchup this series, as Game 2 in Oklahoma City and Games 3 and 4 in Indianapolis will feature the Thunder in their blue Icon Edition design.
If the series isn’t a sweep, Games 5 and/or 7 could still feature the Thunder in their white Association set while Game 6 could see them break out their orange Statement design, though that hasn’t been worn since Feb. 28.
Those matchups will be revealed if they become necessary, and we’ll update this post as the series progresses, with Game 2 scheduled for June 8, Game 3 set for June 11 and Game 4 on June 13.
Both the Thunder and Pacers have added an NBA Finals patch to the back of their jerseys, as the league notably moved it from the front of the jerseys to above the nameplates during the 2015 NBA Finals.
Interestingly, this marks the second time that both teams have worn a patch in that spot, as the Pacers and Thunder reached the In-Season Tournament/NBA Cup Finals in 2023 and 2024, respectively.
The winner of the series will also have the distinction of adding a gold tab depicting the Larry O’Brien Trophy and the No. 1 representing the number of titles in franchise history to the back collar of their jerseys.
The Thunder technically already won an NBA championship, capturing the title in 1978-79, but do not acknowledge their history as the SuperSonics and do not have a gold tab as a result.
The Pacers, meanwhile, only won American Basketball Association championships in 1968-70, 1971-72 and 1972-73 before joining the NBA in 1976-77 and do not qualify for the gold tabs.
That will leave the loser of the series, as well as the Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, New Orleans Pelicans, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz as the only teams without a gold tab next season.
For more uniform-related notes about the 2025 NBA Finals, make sure to follow our friends at @PacersUniTrackr and @OKCTracker on X/Twitter.
Photos courtesy of @okcthunder, NBA LockerVision and @nuggets on X/Twitter.