Indiana Pacers Flight Diverted Amid Tornado Watch Ahead of 2025 NBA Finals Opener in OKC

Akash Vaishnav

Last updated: June 4, 2025 - 2 min read

Rough Skies Welcome Indiana Pacers to NBA Finals in Oklahoma

Image Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

The Indiana Pacers, en route to Oklahoma City for the 2025 NBA Finals, were forced into an unexpected detour due to severe weather conditions surrounding the City.

The Pacers’ charter took off at 2 PM CST on Tuesday but was denied landing at Will Rogers Airport due to a tornado warning. A flood watch was also issued by the weather station as the Indiana Pacers’ charter flight was in mid-air.

Denied clearance to land, the Pacers’ flight was diverted to nearby Tulsa for safety. The team remained onboard until weather conditions over Oklahoma City improved. In the evening after refueling, the plane continued its journey towards Oklahoma City.

NEW: I’m told the Pacers are chartering a plane for all full-time employees to attend the #NBAFinals Game 1 and Game 2 to support the team against the Thunder in OKC.

This is OUTSTANDING 👏🏾@WISHNews8
— Anthony Calhoun 📺 (@ACwishtv) June 2, 2025

The flight finally touched down at Will Rogers Airport around 7 PM CST, wrapping up a 3.5-hour delay. The Indiana Pacers have already been to the Oklahoma City once this season. They last faced the top seed of the Western Conference in March and lost the game by 111-132. Pacers all in all have a shaky record at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma.

NBA Finals Prep Unfazed

Indiana Pacers Centre Myles Turner shared his thoughts on the 2025 NBA Finals just before the team left Indianapolis on Tuesday. He suggested that the team is not thinking a lot ahead and is taking things slowly despite the huge showdown.

Myles Turner said, “You spend so much time thinking about getting there, but it’s like, you’re here now. You didn’t really spend a lot of time thinking about, ‘OK, when I’m here, I’m going to do this, I’m going to do that.’ It’s like, ‘Let’s just get there.’ So now, that milestone has been achieved. It’s about doing something with the opportunity.”

The Indiana Pacers have found major success this season, but they’re staying grounded despite the Finals spotlight. The Pacers remain focused as they gear up for their first NBA Finals appearance since the 1999-2000 season. During that NBA season, Pacers lost 2-4 to the Los Angeles Lakers breaking their hopes of a first title.

Indiana Pacers

NBA Finals

Oklahoma City Thunder

Akash Vaishnav

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I cover NBA at the Playoffs. I specialize in covering breaking news, Previews, in in-depth analysis (breaking down numbers, complex stats, nuances of the game, and converting them into reader-friendly content). Furthermore, I got into the sports media while looking for an entry into the media industry. I love International Relations, and since entry without majoring in the subject was difficult, I got into sports. Now, while majoring in International Relations on one side, I also like covering sports as part of the journey as a young Journalist.