National Basketball Association Christmas games facts for kids
The National Basketball Association (NBA) has a cool yearly tradition: playing basketball games on Christmas Day, December 25! This has been happening since the league's second season in 1947. Today, five exciting games are played on Christmas. Unlike the National Football League (NFL) which has fixed teams for its Thanksgiving Day games, the NBA picks some of the best teams and players to play on Christmas. Since 1995, the team that won the NBA championship the year before always plays a game on Christmas Day.
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History of Christmas Day Games
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The very first NBA game on Christmas Day was in 1947. The New York Knicks beat the Providence Steamrollers 89–75 at Madison Square Garden. Since then, the NBA has played games every Christmas, except in 1998. That year, a lockout (a time when players and owners couldn't agree, so games were stopped) canceled half the season.
Other major sports leagues usually don't play on Christmas. Major League Baseball is in its off-season. The National Football League only plays if Christmas is on a weekend. The National Hockey League even has rules against playing on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day. This makes the NBA special, as it's the only major league that always has games on December 25.
In the early days, teams often played against rivals that were close by. This helped cut down on travel during the holiday. It also allowed players to spend more time with their families. Dr. Jack Ramsay, who coached the Portland Trail Blazers, once said that Christmas meant being home with family and winning a game. He held the record for most coaching wins on Christmas Day with 11. Phil Jackson later tied his record in 2008.
In the early 1980s, the New York Knicks had some amazing Christmas games. In 1984, Hall of Fame player Bernard King scored 60 points. This is still the most points ever scored by a player on Christmas Day! Because these games were so exciting, especially with television, the NBA decided to always schedule games that featured the best teams and players. While there's no strict rule, the games usually include the teams from the previous NBA Finals. They also often feature the team with the league's reigning MVP (Most Valuable Player).
Teams and Players on Christmas Day
The New York Knicks have played more Christmas Day games than any other team, with 54 games in total. Their record on the holiday is 23 wins and 31 losses. Their most recent Christmas game was in 2021, when they beat the Atlanta Hawks 101-87 at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks have the second-most wins on Christmas Day, but also the most losses.
The first Christmas Day game played outside the United States happened in 2019. The Boston Celtics beat the Toronto Raptors 118-102 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada.
Some famous people have been part of Christmas Day games as both players and coaches. Doc Rivers played for the Knicks in 1992 and later coached the Boston Celtics. Phil Jackson also played and coached in many holiday games. He coached on Christmas almost every year from 1990 until he retired. He even won his 1,000th game as a coach on Christmas Day in 2008.
LeBron James and Kobe Bryant are tied for playing the most games on Christmas Day, with 16 games each. Kobe Bryant actually played more often on Christmas than on any other day of the year! His first Christmas game was in 1996 and his last was in 2015.
Many teams and players have worn special uniforms and shoes for these games. From 2009 to 2011, the Knicks wore their green and orange alternate jerseys. In 2010, players like Kobe Bryant wore lime-green Nike shoes, while LeBron James wore holiday-red shoes. From 2008 to 2011, teams wore a special patch with the NBA logo inside a snowflake. Between 2012 and 2016, the NBA and Adidas made special uniforms for Christmas games. These uniforms had unique designs, like bright colors or shiny logos. In 2015 and 2016, Stance made special Christmas-themed socks.
After Nike became the uniform maker in 2017, they stopped making special Christmas uniforms. Instead, teams wore their "City" or "Statement" alternate uniforms. In the 2018–19 season, some teams even wore "Earned" uniforms. These were given as a reward for making the 2018 NBA playoffs.
Memorable Moments on Christmas Day
NBA Christmas Day games have given us some truly unforgettable moments.
- In 1984, Bernard King scored an amazing 60 points for the New York Knicks.
- In 1985, Patrick Ewing helped the Knicks come back from being 25 points behind to beat the Boston Celtics.
- Then, in 1986, Ewing beat Michael Jordan and the Bulls with a shot in the last second!
- In 1994, Scottie Pippen made a game-winning block right at the end.
Some big rivalries and player matchups have also happened on Christmas.
- The first time Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal played against each other after Shaq left the Lakers was on Christmas Day in 2004.
- In 2009 and 2010, fans got to see exciting games between LeBron James and Kobe Bryant.
- Phil Jackson became the fastest coach to win 1,000 games on December 25, 2008.
- In 2021, LeBron James passed Kobe Bryant to become the all-time leading scorer on Christmas Day, with 422 points. Kobe had scored 383 points.
In 2011, because of a lockout, Christmas Day was actually the first day of the season! ESPN/ABC analyst Jeff Van Gundy said it was a very special opening day. It included the Dallas Mavericks celebrating their championship from the year before.
Rivalries have also been a big part of Christmas games. In the 1990s, almost every Christmas featured a game with either the New York Knicks or the Chicago Bulls. They even played each other twice. During the 2000s, the NBA often showed the Shaq–Kobe feud. Since 1999, either the Celtics or the Lakers have played on Christmas. In 2008, these two famous rivals played each other for the first time since the NBA Finals that year.
Teams playing at home usually win on Christmas Day. The home team has won 142 games and lost 75. Their winning percentage of .654 is better than the home team winning percentage during the regular season or playoffs since 1992.
Scheduling and Broadcasting Games
After the NBA Finals end each season, NBA officials and TV networks meet to plan the Christmas Day games. They usually pick the teams that played in the previous season's Finals. They also try to match up the best players. For example, in 2009 and 2010, the Los Angeles Lakers played at home. This allowed for exciting games between Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.
Broadcasting Christmas Games
The first time an NBA game was shown on TV on Christmas Day was way back in 1947. The Providence Steamrollers played the Knicks in New York. It was shown on WCBS channel 2.
The first Christmas Day NBA game shown across the whole country was in 1967. ABC showed a game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the San Diego Rockets. ABC continued to show Christmas Day games until 1972. From 1975 to 1989, CBS broadcast a game on Christmas Day, except for one year.
However, it wasn't until 1983 that these games became a regular holiday tradition for many families. That year, CBS showed a game between the New Jersey Nets and the New York Knicks. ESPN also showed a game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Portland Trail Blazers. In the 1990s, NBC showed two games each Christmas Day. This continued after ABC took over in 2002. Since ABC started showing NBA games, ESPN has also broadcast games on Christmas Day. Since 2009, ESPN and ABC Christmas broadcasts have featured a music video with Mariah Carey singing "All I Want for Christmas Is You."
In 2008, TNT broadcast games on Christmas Day for the first time. This was the first time that all three networks that cover the NBA (ABC, ESPN, and TNT) showed games on Christmas Day.
Because of the 2011 NBA lockout in 2011, Christmas Day was the first day of the season. TNT showed the first game between the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks. ABC also showed the Dallas Mavericks' championship banner ceremony before their game. This was the first time a championship ceremony was shown on a major TV network before a game.
In 2017, ABC showed three NBA games in a row for the first time. One big game was a rematch of the 2017 NBA Finals between LeBron James's Cavaliers and Steph Curry's Warriors.
ESPN/ABC Simulcast Games
Since 2018, the main game at 8:00 PM Eastern Time has often been shown on both ESPN and ABC at the same time. These games have always featured LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.
- In 2018, the Lakers played against the Golden State Warriors. The Lakers won, but LeBron James got hurt, which made him miss many games.
- In 2019, the Lakers played their city rivals, the Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers won this "Battle of LA." The Lakers later went on to win the NBA Championship that season.
- The 2020 game again featured the Lakers against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks. The Lakers won easily.
- In 2021, the Lakers hosted the Brooklyn Nets. Even though LeBron scored 40 points, the Nets won. Many Nets players were out due to health rules.
For Christmas Day 2022, ESPN announced that all five games would be shown on both ESPN and ABC. This included exciting matchups like the Philadelphia 76ers against the New York Knicks, the Los Angeles Lakers against the Dallas Mavericks, and the Milwaukee Bucks against the Boston Celtics. The Memphis Grizzlies also played their first Christmas Day game against the Golden State Warriors. All these NBA games competed with the NFL's own Christmas Day games.
Images for kids
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Since 2009, NBA Christmas Day broadcasts often feature a music video with Mariah Carey singing "All I Want for Christmas Is You."
