Christmas and NBA basketball have gone hand-in-hand for as long as I can remember. Ever since the New York Knicks beat the Providence Steamrollers at Madison Square Garden in 1947, the world’s greatest basketball league has hosted games on the most festive day on the calendar with fans around the globe rallying behind their favourite teams. In that time, we’ve seen some of the premier NBA talents put on a show and provide their fans with the perfect Xmas gift. There are a bunch of individual efforts I could highlight as memorable performances, but I narrowed the list down to the 11 exceptional Christmas Day heroics.
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Bernard King – 1984
It’s only right that we start with New York scoring sensation Bernard King. No individual has scored more points on Christmas Day, with King’s exploits in 1984 a reminder of how dominant he was at the peak of his powers. The Knicks failed to claim a win against their cross-town rivals in the New Jersey Nets, although King did his best to get them over the line. The Hall of Famer scored 40 in the first half and shot 19-of-30 from the field for the game to finish with 60 points – at the time becoming just the 10th player ever to crack the 60-point threshold.
Tracy McGrady – 2003
In a few weeks, LeBron James will play on Christmas Day for the 19th time in 22 seasons. You may not know that even as a rookie LBJ was an Xmas drawcard, with his Cavaliers clashing with Orlando in 2003. The franchises owned a combined 16-40 record at the time, but the game did pit James against another superstar wing, Tracy McGrady. The pair made sure fans got their money’s worth, with T-Mac leading the Magic to an overtime win fuelled by 41 points, 11 assists, eight rebounds and three steals. McGrady would finish the 2003-04 campaign as the league’s leading scoring, with this Christmas effort just one of the eight times he topped 40 points in that season. LeBron did his best to keep Cleveland in the contest with 34 points of his own, but he ran out of juice with eight consecutive misses to close the match.
Image from sportskeeda.com
Rick Barry – 1966
If you’re an NBA history buff, you’ll know all about Rick Barry’s ability to score the ball. Over his 14-year career, Barry topped 50 points on 14 separate occasions – one of which came during Christmas back in 1966. Behind his scoring binge, the then San Francisco Warriors overcame the Cincinnati Royals and a 38-point effort from their own franchise player, Oscar Robertson. We are spoilt with 50-point games every other week in the modern NBA, but to this day, Barry remains one of just four players to score 50 or more on Christmas Day.
Penny Hardaway – 1995
Alright, it’s a bit of a stretch saying this is an ‘individual’ performance, but the 1995 Xmas Day matchup between Houston and Orlando was special for a number of reasons. It marked the first time the teams from the previous NBA Finals met on Christmas and the stars from both sides put on a serious show. Iconic big men Hakeem Olajuwon (30 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists) and Shaquille O’Neal (22 points, 18 rebounds and 5 assists) went to war in the paint, although it was Penny Hardaway who emerged as the hero. His 12-foot jumper with three seconds remaining on the clock secured a victory for the Magic, with Hardaway recording a 22/7/10 line.
Derrick Rose – 2011
As far as Christmas NBA games go, this Lakers/Bulls matchup was far from a spectacle. However, there was special sentiment attached to this game with the 25th of December in 2011 signalling the end of a 161-day lockout and the start of a brand new basketball season. Reigning MVP Derrick Rose didn’t make his first bucket until the 6:58 mark of the second quarter in this contest vs. the Lakers, but he was able to steer Chicago to a memorable victory with 22 points in a low-scoring affair. His most important field goal that night came in the final five seconds, with a running floater over Pau Gasol giving the Bulls an 88-87 triumph.
Image from nba.com
Nate Archibald – 1972
Six seasons after Guy Rodgers set the NBA Xmas record for assists in a game, Nate ‘Tiny’ Archibald tied his mark with 18 dimes against the Milwaukee Bucks. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson took the bragging rights with a 104-99 win over the Kansas City-Omaha Kings, although Tiny did his best to steer his squad to victory with 20 points to go along with his 18 assists. His performance came in the 1972-73 season – the same year that Archibald became the only player to lead the NBA in scoring (34.0 PPG) and assists (11.4 APG) in the same season. He dropped at least 18 dimes on eight occasions including an epic 41-points, 21-assist effort 10 days before this Christmas duel.
Luka Doncic – 2024
Just last year, Luka Doncic treated us to one of the best Christmas Day performances we’ve ever seen on the hardwood. Without his running mate Kyrie Irving, Doncic started hot against the Suns with 17 points in the first quarter including the 10,000th of his young career. He wasn’t done there, cooking Phoenix for 50 points and 15 assists by the time the final buzzer sounded in a 128-114 Dallas win. Doncic added four steals and three blocks to his final line, compiling perhaps the greatest box score in Xmas history.
Scottie Pippen – 1994
If you don’t believe Luka owns the greatest Christmas box score in NBA history, then your vote may side with Scottie Pippen. In the Bulls’ first season without Micahel Jordan, Pip established himself as a franchise player in his own right – with his Xmas performance in 1994 something to behold. Not only did Pippen play all 53 minutes in their overtime triumph over New York, but he posted an unreal 36 points, 16 rebounds and five steals. A wild sequence unfolded to force the extra period with the scores locked at 100 a piece, and in OT, Pippen scored all of Chicago’s points and blocked two potential game-tying shots from the Knicks in the final few seconds.
Patrick Ewing – 1986
The 1986 battle between New York and Chicago is better known for being Michael Jordan’s first appearance on Xmas Day. It should be known for Patrick Ewing’s epic effort with the Knicks’ big man putting forth one of the best games of his illustrious career. Sure, the stakes weren’t as high as some of Ewing’s finer moments, but the New York star hauled in his 17th rebound before putting up a game-winning shot that fell through the net as the buzzer sounded. That basket gave the Knicks an 86-85 victory with Ewing (28 points) getting the better of MJ (30 points).
Wilt Chamberlain – 1961
We live in a very different NBA world now, but could you imagine how we would react if a player chalked up a 50/30 game?! 63 years ago, Wilt Chamberlain was at his true apex, averaging 50.4 points and 25.7 rebounds across 80 games that season. Christmas Day was just another run-of-the-mill performance by Wilt – 59 points and 36 rebounds, you know, no biggy. The rebounding total is still an Xmas record and for 22 years his scoring binge stood as the most by an individual. For what it’s worth, his Philadelphia Warriors teams lost in double overtime to the New York Knicks, but Chamberlain still deserves a ton of praise for his stat line.
Nikola Jokic – 2022
Video game numbers from Nikola Jokic have become a formality but even by his lofty standards this Christmas box score was insane. With the Phoenix Suns coming to town for the 2022 festive season, Jokic dropped a 41/15/15 line in an overtime epic, with his squad prevailing 128-125. Prior to this clash, only Oscar Robertson and James Harden had produced 40 points, 15 rebounds and 15 assists in a single game and this effort from the league’s MVP came one week after he recorded 40 points, 27 rebounds and 10 assists. I won’t be surprised if there are more epic Xmas performances to come from the Joker.
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