[11], The NBA does not schedule games on Christmas Eve, December 24, to allow players and coaches who have to play on Christmas Day to be with their families. However, instead of employing either Marv Albert or Kevin Harlan and their roster of game analysts, Turner opted to use the Inside the NBA crew of Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny “The Jet” Smith and Charles Barkley for the game, with TNT’s #2 sideline reporter Kristen Ledlow working the sidelines and halftime. ", Others have managed to voice some discontent while still accepting the Christmas game tradition. This unique situation combined with the unveiling of a championship banner for the Mavericks in a finals rematch, and then to see the Lakers and the debut of Mike Brown as head coach, those things are all going to be very compelling."[15]. | Box score, 1984: King goes for 60 — In the greatest individual scoring performance in Christmas Day history, Hall of Fame forward Bernard King finished with 60 points in the Knicks’ 120-114 loss to the (then-)New Jersey Nets. The first NBA game played on December 25 came in 1947, a year after the NBA's inception, when the New York Knicks beat the Providence Steamrollers at Madison Square Garden 89–75. [28] The other game scheduled that day drew similar criticism. The Knicks finished the season 23-59 and the Celtics went 67-15 en route to winning the NBA championship. https://hoopshype.com/lists/kobe-bryant-nba-all-time-christmas-day-scorer I know it's tough on the away team, particularly the players who have kids. In 2018, the NBA aired the Los Angeles Lakers-Golden State Warriors matchup on ESPN and ABC. Stan Lomax and Bob Edge called that game. Season Tickets; WNBA; NBA G League; NBA 2K League; FAQ; Season Tickets; WNBA; NBA G League; NBA 2K League; FAQ "[23] In 2010, added that it was an "honor" to be part of the marquee games, saying, "I look at it as a privilege. On Christmas Day 1984, he did that better than anyone in NBA history. But this is my job and it's an honor to be playing on Christmas. | Box score | Highlights, 2008: Celtics’ win streak snapped — In a rematch of the 2007 Finals, the Lakers snapped the defending-champion Celtics’ 19-game winning streak with a 92-83 victory. [9] From 2009 to 2011, the Knicks wore their third jersey, the green/orange alternate which they first used exclusively for St. Patrick's Day. [9] From 2008 to 2011, teams playing on Christmas Day wore a patch featuring the NBA logo inside a snowflake. [3] The NBA usually tries to have the best players play against each other. Since then, the NBA has played games every year on Christmas Day except in 1998 (when a lockout canceled half the 1998–99 season). [31] The games averaged 6.2 million viewers,[31] with the Bulls–Lakers game drawing a 6.5 rating, the third-highest rated NBA regular season game on ABC, and the Celtics–Knicks game on TNT drawing a 4.0 rating, making it the most-watched Christmas game on cable. ET, ESPN): Williamson makes his rookie Christmas Day debut against top-three Kia MVP finisher Nikola Jokic and the rising Nuggets. ET, ABC): Five-time conference champion Golden State plays host to a familiar playoff rival in James Harden and the Houston Rockets, who traded Chris Paul for Russell Westbrook. | Box score, 1995: A Finals rematch — For the first time in NBA history, the teams from the previous season’s Finals met on Christmas Day the next season. That was a perfect Christmas to me. As Christmas Day fell on a Thursday that year, TNT was given two primetime games as part of their regular TNT NBA Thursday slate (the same scenario also took place in 2014). The NBA's Christmas games have garnered some of the highest ratings for any televised regular season NBA game. Scottie Pippen performed a last-second block in 1994. "[20][21] In 2010, Carey added "Oh Santa!"[21]. [15] Because of this, Albert, who was also working for CBS’s NFL coverage, was forced to miss his scheduled Week 16 game the day before. Kyrie Irving made the game-winning turnaround jump shot with 3.4 seconds left to spoil Kevin Durant’s 36-point effort for Golden State. Each February, the NBA All-Star Weekend attracts fans with the dunk and three-point contests as well as a high-scoring All-Star game. If you are having difficulty accessing any content on this website, please visit our Accessibility page. New York Knicks 86, Chicago Bulls 85. | Box score | Highlights, 1985: Ewing, Knicks stun Celtics — Rookie Patrick Ewing (32 points, 11 rebounds) and the Knicks rallied from a 25-point deficit to stun the defending Eastern Conference champion Celtics 113-104 in double overtime. "[24] Magic Center Dwight Howard said that he didn't "see a challenge. This was because of the matchup featuring LeBron James against Steph Curry and Kevin Durant. | Box score | Highlights. [28] Such a pairing was unintentional, as the regular season was scheduled before the brawl took place. [15] ESPN/ABC analyst Jeff Van Gundy talked about that day, saying, "It's a different opening day than has ever happened in the past and Christmas Day games have always been a big day for the NBA. From 1975-1989 (with the exception of 1982), CBS broadcast a game on Christmas Day. "[31], Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal as opponents, National Basketball Association criticisms and controversies, National Basketball Association on television, "Knicks, Kobe and more part of Christmas Day lore", "Gasol sparks Lakers' late run to end Celtics' win streak", "Bulls rally to stun Lakers on Rose's winner", "LeBron has triple-double, Heat rout Lakers", "Christmas Day clashes bring back fond memories", "NBA game: Knicks at L.A. Lakers Recap: Kobe Bryant scores 34 as Lakers drop Knicks to win 5th straight", "Magic-Thunder, Clippers-Warriors set for Christmas", "Humbug: Magic's Van Gundy opposed to NBA on Christmas", "Christmas games can be tough on those involved", "Phil Jackson Complains That NBA Schedules Games on Christmas Day", "Five games deliver record ratings on Christmas Day", "Heat-Lakers draws best rating since 2004", "TV ratings rise for NBA's season openers on Christmas Day", NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=National_Basketball_Association_Christmas_games&oldid=1004464713, Pages using multiple image with auto scaled images, Articles to be expanded from December 2020, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, New Orleans Hornets (2002–2005, 2007–2013), This page was last edited on 2 February 2021, at 18:44. Lakers coach Phil Jackson notched his 1,000th win, the fastest to do so and the sixth coach at the time to reach that milestone. It makes it that much more special—the opportunity to play in front of the rest of the world and be together at Christmas with our family. Chris Schenkel did play-by-play for ABC during this period with the exception of 1970, when Keith Jackson had the honors. These games drew larger audiences than the games in 2010. He dropped an astonishing 60 points on the visiting Nets, a … The NBA uses Christmas Day games as an early-season showcase for the league’s top teams. Jack Twyman remained in the color commentating position up until 1971, when Bill Russell took over. A six-pack of Christmas nuggets to know going into this year’s slate of showcase NBA games on the holiday: Boston at Toronto, Milwaukee at Philadelphia, Houston at … LeBron gets the bag. The first nationally televised Christmas Day NBA broadcast occurred in 1967, when ABC broadcast a game between the Los Angeles Lakers and San Diego Rockets from San Diego. All of these uniforms feature a particular theme, such as monochromatic designs ('Big Color') and chrome-treated logos ('Big Logo'). This marked the first time in NBA history that a pre-game championship banner ceremony has been aired on a terrestrial television network; either Turner Sports or a regional sports network aired the ceremonies in previous years. [2][10] Bernard King scored 60 points for the New York Knicks in 1984. Several fans, players, coaches, and members of the news media support the tradition of Christmas games. He, like many players, said that he was fortunate to have played with his family in attendance. The NFL owns Thanksgiving and Christmas is the NBA’s day to shine. We're playing basketball on Christmas. [23] The Magic coach was fined for his comments. [2] Very often a rematch of the previous season's NBA Finals is showcased on Christmas Day. A history of NBA Christmas games (O&B Classic) Play Like Play Next Mark Played Original airdate: 12/22/14Since 1947, when the New York Knicks battled the Providence Steamrollers on Christmas Day, professional basketball played on Christmas Day became an annual tradition. ABC would continue to televise Christmas Day games through 1972. The game was between The New York Knicks and the Toronto Huskies at Maple Leaf Gardens and drew in over 7000 spectators, most who knew very little about basketball; The Knicks won 68-66. What are the best NBA Christmas Day games this year? | Box score, 2004: Shaq vs. Kobe — O’Neal and Kobe Bryant met for the first time since Shaq’s trade to the Miami Heat the previous offseason. The rebounding total remains a Christmas Day record and the scoring total was a record for 23 years. In a matchup featuring star centers, Orlando’s Shaquille O’Neal had 22 points, 18 rebounds and five assists and Houston’s Hakeem Olajuwon notched 30 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. This season’s slate of Christmas games features the four most recent Kia Most Valuable Players (Giannis Antetokoumpo, James Harden, Russell Westbrook and Stephen Curry), three of the four conference finalists from 2019, and the No.1 pick of the 2019 Draft (Zion Williamson). NBA.com is part of Warner Media, LLC’s Turner Sports & Entertainment Digital Network. He then beat Michael Jordan and the Bulls on a last-second jumper in 1986. For players and coaches, the standard public statement is that a Christmas game is an honor, as it is not only a chance to play on national television, but also a reward for having a great team and great players. "[17] Raymond Felton said, "you'd rather be with your family. The first telecast of an NBA game on Christmas Day dates back to the league's early years. A rematch of the East Semis, this is the easy pick for the best contest of the Christmas slate. In fact, he played more often on Christmas than on any other date on the calendar, playing his first in 1996 and his last in 2015.[1][8]. In 2009, the game between the Miami Heat and the New York Knicks drew a 1.9 share with 2.6 million viewers, the highest rating for an NBA game on ESPN during the 2009–10 season. Unlike the National Football League (NFL)'s traditional Thanksgiving Day games, the NBA's Christmas Day games have no fixed opponents; rather, they feature some of the best teams and players. The matchup lived up to expectations as the Heat extended their win streak to 11 games with a 104-102 overtime victory against the Lakers. Houston Rockets at Golden State Warriors, 5 p.m., ABC. They serve as a preview of a potential series in the playoffs, and perhaps, the finals. That scoring total is currently the most points ever scored by a rookie during a Christmas Day game according to Basketball Reference. After Nike became the uniform provider in 2017, no Christmas-themed uniforms were produced. For three years (2004–2006) ABC insisted on having a Christmas Day game between the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers so that Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal could play against each other. [16][17] They would have met a third time in 1998, if there had not been a lockout. I enjoy it. Date: Dec. 25, 2001 Score: New York Knicks 102, Toronto Raptors 94 The Knicks hosted the Raptors at Madison Square Garden for one of only two Christmas Day games on the NBA calendar that season. Before the game between the Bulls and the Knicks in New York, Coach Mike D'Antoni said, "I can adjust a little bit. Phil Jackson, who also participated as a player and coach, has been a part of at least 20 holiday games,[6] coaching on Christmas every year from 1990, with the exception of 1995 and 2004, until his retirement at the end of the 2010–11 season. Pelicans vs. Nuggets (10:30 p.m. In contrast, Major League Baseball is in its off-season during Christmas, the National Football Leagueonly schedules Christmas games when Christmas falls on the weekend (and even then only sch… With five games set for Christmas this year, including a NBA Finals rematch in one, and the NBA’s all-time Christmas Day scorer playing his final December 25th game in another. The first Christmas Day game was played 71 years ago: an 89-75 victory for the New York Knicks over the Providence Steam Rollers. King's 60 points is the greatest individual scoring performance on Christmas Day in NBA history. Between 2012 and 2016, the NBA and Adidas produced special uniforms for the Christmas games. [26], In 2010, there were complaints from both sides before the game between the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers in Los Angeles. This marked the first time that an NBA Christmas game was simulcast on two networks. Rockets vs. Warriors (5 p.m. Their 22 wins are the second most by a team on Christmas Day, [4] while their 31 losses are the most. The league once again has an impressive quintupleheader of games for the … Below, you will find the top individual performances in NBA Christmas day games entering 2018: Most Points in an NBA Christmas Game -60 Bernard King , December 25, 1984 , Knicks vs Nets Instead, NBA teams playing on that day wore either "City" or "Statement" alternate uniforms. [31] The Associated Press said of the large audiences: "NBA fans seem more excited about basketball's return than bitter about the lockout based on television ratings for the league's delayed openers. "[17], Doug White, an ESPN executive, said that Christmas is "Thanksgiving on the NBA side. Since 1999, each Christmas has featured games involving either the Celtics or the Lakers, with both teams playing on the holiday in 2002 and every year since 2008. [29][30][31] Because of the nature of the Heat-Lakers game, Miami guard Dwyane Wade had a new commercial unveiled nationally on Christmas. 76ers vs. Celtics. In one game (1984), hall-of-fame forward Bernard King scoring 60 points—the most ever scored by a player on Christmas Day,[1] With the advent of television and the excitement caused by these games, the NBA decided to scheduled games over the holiday that showcased the best teams and players.[3]. For the third consecutive year, the Lakers were a part of the ESPN/ABC simulcast game in 2020, this time, the defending champion Lakers, led by MVP candidates James and Davis, faced fellow MVP candidate Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks. Scottie Pippen goes for 27 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in what was, at the time, the best combined record for a Christmas Day matchup in NBA history; the Bulls were 24-3 and the Pistons were 20-5. To allow the NBA to provide local ticket options click here.. Rivalries have also been showcased during games played on this day. [1], After a season's NBA Finals comes to an end, officials from both the NBA and the network that broadcast the NBA meet to plan the schedule of games for the holiday during the upcoming season. "[25] Jermaine O'Neal on the Celtics agreed, saying, "It's special because the whole world is watching. However, it was not until 1983 that the games became a household tradition, when CBS broadcast the game between the New Jersey Nets and the New York Knicks and ESPN broadcast the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers (Sam Smith and Dick Vitale were on the call for ESPN). It's...one of those days that you wish you could wake up in the morning with the kids and open up presents. Because ESPN aired a football game on Christmas night, they only aired one game, which was at 12 ET. The league showcases the next generation of stars during the NBA Draft in late June. 1986: Ewing's buzzer-beater to beat Jordan. We have the opportunity to do that, bringing our families down with us. This marked the first time that all three networks that cover the NBA (ABC, ESPN, and TNT) produced games on Christmas Day. This was the first meeting between the two teams since the finals of the year before. As a result, the NBA gave TNT the first game of the Christmas slate with a contest between the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. None of those rookies scored as many points as LeBron did in Orlando. The home team is 142–75 in Christmas games. This is the Knicks’ 50th game on Christmas, the most of any team in the NBA. [14], As a result of a lockout in 2011, Christmas Day was also the season opener. Bucks — Nate “Tiny” Archibald of the Kansas City-Omaha Kings equaled a Christmas Day record with 18 assists (and 20 points) in a 104-99 loss to the Bucks. [29] The game between the Heat and the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers drawing a 7.3 rating, making it the second-highest rated NBA regular season game on ABC, trailing only the game between the two teams on Christmas Day in 2004, which drew a 7.9 rating. Well, at least on Christmas Day games. During the game between the Heat and the Lakers in 2010, players on both teams wore holiday sneakers. In a great pairing, the two teams faced off against each in other during the first of the Lakers' most recent back-to-back championship seasons of 2008–09. The ESPN/ABC simulcast returned in 2019, when the Lakers, led by James and newly acquired Anthony Davis, faced 2x Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, newly acquired Paul George, and the LA Clippers, in the Battle of LA, resulting in a 111-105 Clippers comeback victory, in what could’ve been a preview to that season’s Western Conference Finals, but the Clippers lost in the Conference Semifinals to the Denver Nuggets. 2009 and 2010 featured faceoffs between LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. It would have been really fun to be a basketball fan on Christmas Day in 1971, when a record 10 games … [26] Also families of players and coaches who participate in Christmas games, normally attend the games.[26]. He also now ranks second on the career Christmas Da This white jersey, a Size 52+6 inches extra length, is registered into the NBA and MeiGray Game-Worn Jersey Authentication Program as number LALW04284. [5] Their most recent Yuletide appearance came in 2018 when they were defeated by the Milwaukee Bucks, 109-95, at Madison Square Garden. [3] Some examples of this include 2009 and 2010, when the defending champions of those seasons, the Los Angeles Lakers played at home against the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2009 and the Miami Heat in 2010, so that they could have showdowns between Kobe Bryant and LeBron James both times.[3][9]. We're still going to celebrate." LeBron James led the Cavaliers with 31 points and 13 rebounds. Here are a few standout games: 1961: Chamberlain dominates in defeat — Wilt Chamberlain scored 59 points and grabbed 36 rebounds, but his Philadelphia Warriors lost to the New York Knicks 136-135 in double overtime. [1] Since then, the NBA has played games every year on Christmas Day except in 1998 (when a lockout canceled half the 1998–99 season). Since 2009, Christmas Day broadcasts on ESPN/ABC have featured a music video with Mariah Carey singing "All I Want for Christmas Is You. The 2019-20 campaign will mark the 72nd edition of the NBA on Christmas Day. Patrick Ewing helped the Knicks come back to beat the Boston Celtics after trailing by 25 points in 1985. | Box score, 1972: Archibald runs wild vs. The league began playing Christmas games in 1947, and will … I think it's fun. If you play on a pretty good team and if you have to play on Christmas, so be it. [4], In the early 1980s, the New York Knicks put on a show three years in a row. [26] In 2009, Orlando Magic Coach Stan Van Gundy requested that the NBA do not schedule any more games on Christmas Day, saying "I actually feel sorry for people who have nothing to do on Christmas Day other than watch an NBA game" and said that the day is best spent with family. From the Chicago Stags and Providence Steamrollers in 1947 through the Warriors and Lakers in 2019, the NBA has seen magnificent performances highlight the Christmas slate. With five games set for Christmas this year, including a NBA Finals rematch in one, and the NBA’s all-time Christmas Day scorer playing his final December 25th game in another. [3] Teams would usually play their geographical rivals to cut down on holiday travel and to allow them to have more time with their families. [6][21], In recent years, players and coaches have complained about playing on Christmas Day, saying that takes time away from families. Fifteen minutes later, at 8:15 p.m. Central Time, Joe Wilson broadcast the game between Baltimore Bullets and Chicago Stags for WBKB channel 4 in Chicago. King became the third player to score at least 50 points on Christmas, joining Wilt Chamberlain (59 points in 1961) and Rick Barry (50 points in 1966). In contrast, Major League Baseball is in its off-season during Christmas, the National Football League only schedules Christmas games when Christmas falls on the weekend (and even then only schedules games on Christmas occasionally) and the National Hockey League's collective bargaining agreement forbids playing games on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day (celebrated as such in Canada as a statutory holiday, though otherwise the non-holiday day after Christmas in the United States; in seasons in which the latter falls on a Saturday, the break occurs one day earlier, from December 23-25).