NBA on Christmas a long-time tradition and cherished gift for basketball fans – Las Vegas Sun News

Editor’s note: “Behind the News” is the product of Sun staff assisted by the Sun’s AI lab, which includes a variety of tools such as Anthropic’s Claude, Perplexity AI, Google Gemini and ChatGPT.

 

NBA Christmas Day games began in 1947, with the New York Knicks defeating the Providence Steamrollers 89-75, which the league reconizes as its first inaugural holiday matchup at Madison Square Garden (the league was known as the Basketball Association of America until 1949)[1]. The tradition has continued annually since, except for the 1998-99 lockout, evolving from modest local games into a global spectacle broadcast in over 200 countries and 50 languages [2].

The league played seven games on Christmas Day in 1949, during the first official NBA season, but the current standard of five games was adopted in 2009, emphasizing marquee rivalries like Lakers-Celtics [3]. Growth accelerated in the 1980s with national TV deals, turning it into a marketing powerhouse by the 1990s as stars like Michael Jordan drew massive audiences. A pivotal moment came in 2003-04 with LeBron James’ debut, signaling the NBA’s star-driven appeal, while 2008’s Celtics-Lakers Finals rematch solidified its elite status [3].

Scheduling and broadcast strategy

Madison Square Garden’s prime New York time zone slots the Knicks as the traditional opener, regardless of record, for optimal national broadcast reach since the 1960s ABC era [4]. Games prioritize top teams, rivalries and stars, spanning ABC, ESPN and TNT for 13-hour coverage [5].

Memorable Moments

1960s:

• 1961: Wilt Chamberlain’s 59 points and 36 rebounds (record) in the Philadelphia Warriors’ double-overtime loss to Knicks; Los Angeles’ Elgin Baylor and Cincinnati’s Oscar Robertson both drop 40 in Lakers win over Royals [9]
• 1963: Jerry West’s 47 points power Lakers over Knicks [9]
• 1966: Rick Barry’s 50 points lifts San Francisco Warriors past Royals [9]

1980s:

• 1984: Bernard King’s Christmas Day record 60 points in Knicks’ loss to New Jersey Nets [9]
• 1986: Patrick Ewing’s buzzer-beater putback gives Knicks 86-85 win over Jordan’s Bulls in the Chicago legend’s first Christmas Day appearance [10]

1990s:

• 1994: Scottie Pippen’s 36-16-5 and two overtime blocks seal Bulls’ win over Knicks [9]
• 1995: Penny Hardaway’s game-winner for Orlando Magic in Finals rematch downs Houston Rockets 92-90 [9]

2000s-2010s:

• 2003: Tracy McGrady’s 41-11-8 tops LeBron James in his Christmas Day debut (34 points) in Magic-Cavs overtime thriller [9]
• 2004: Shaquille O’Neal-Kobe Bryant postsplit drama sees Miami Heat edge Lakers 104-102 in overtime [11]
• 2010: James’ triple-double (27-11-10) for the Heat in rout of Lakers [9]
• 2011: Derrick Rose’s late floater and Luol Deng’s block for the Bulls down Lakers 88-87 in season opener after lockout ended [9]

2020s:

• 2023: Luka Doncic’s 50-15-6-4-3 stat line for the Dallas Mavericks crushes Phoenix Suns [9]
• 2024: James’ “Christmas is our day” post-Lakers win amid rivalry with NFL [12]

Viewership history

NBA Christmas Day games have seen TV ratings evolve from modest local broadcasts in the 1940s-1960s to massive national audiences by the 1990s, peaking with Jordan-era matchups on NBC that regularly topped 10 million viewers [13]. Viewership surged in the 2000s with ABC’s national coverage, hitting all-time highs like 13.18 million for O’Neal versus Bryant in 2004 and 13.11 million for James’ Heat versus Lakers in 2010 [13].

Jordan’s final Christmas game in 1997 before his first retirement from the Bulls drew 10.85 million, while 2011’s lockout opener (Bulls-Lakers) averaged 11.01 million. The 2010s maintained strength with LeBron James-Steph Curry clashes, like 2015’s Cavaliers-Warriors at 11.17 million, but postpandemic dips occurred, with 2023 averaging just 2.85 million across games [14].

Recent rebound

2024 marked a rebound to 5.25 million average viewers — up 84% from 2023 and the highest since 2019 — led by Lakers-Warriors (7.76 million, peaking at 8.32 million) despite NFL competition [15]. Overnight ratings jumped 76% overall, with Knicks-Spurs opener at 4.91 million (best in 13 years) and Suns-Nuggets setting a late-window record at 3.84 million [16]. This growth reflects streaming boosts via ESPN/ABC platforms, though totals lag prestreaming peaks [15].

Marketing and economic impact

Christmas became an advertising feast post-1990s with premium slots commanding top rates; brands like State Farm sponsor, leveraging family traditions and global stars for billions in exposure [2].

NFL competition

The NFL is ramping up its Christmas Day presence with three high-stakes divisional games in 2025, streaming two on Netflix and one on Prime Video to challenge the NBA’s long-held dominance. This tripleheader — Cowboys at Commanders (10 a.m. PT, Netflix), Lions at Vikings (1:30 p.m. PT, Netflix) and Broncos at Chiefs (5:15 p.m. PT, Prime Video) — features playoff contenders and stars like Patrick Mahomes [17]. Commissioner Roger Goodell has committed to annual Christmas tripleheaders moving forward [17].

Netflix’s two-game exclusive (produced by CBS) tests holiday football’s shift to streaming, with pre- and postgame shows to mimic traditional broadcasts. Prime Video’s primetime slot leverages its “Thursday Night Football” package, creating a 7-plus hour block rivaling NBA’s slate while avoiding direct overlap with ABC/ESPN [18].

After last year’s Lakers Christmas win, LeBron James posted “Christmas is OUR day!!!” on social media, responding to the NFL’s two-game experiment [2]. The NFL isn’t backing down; its 2025 push capitalizes on divisional rivalries for higher stakes than NBA’s star-focused matchups [19].

Viewership comparison: NFL vs. NBA

NFL Christmas games draw far larger average audiences than NBA Christmas games, though the NBA has recently rebounded off a low base [20].

Over the past several seasons, NFL Christmas windows have routinely averaged in the tens of millions, while the NBA’s full five-game slate typically averages in the low single-digit millions. In 2023, the NFL’s three-game Christmas schedule averaged about 29 million viewers, compared with roughly 2.85 million average viewers across the NBA’s five games that same day [21].

In 2024, Netflix’s NFL doubleheader (Chiefs-Steelers and Ravens-Texans) drew an estimated U.S. audience of about 65 million combined, with each game averaging around 24 million viewers and setting streaming records. That same Christmas, the NBA’s five-game slate averaged about 5.2-5.25 million viewers, the league’s best Christmas performance since 2019 [22].

Historically, when the leagues go head-to-head on Christmas, the NFL almost always wins on raw audience size, often by a factor of three to five times per game [23].

 

Sources

 

[1] https://web.archive.org/web/20101202114508/http://www.nba.com/2009/news/features/john_schuhmann/12/17/numbers.christmas/index.html

 

[2] https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/42801542/nba-christmas-games-history-traditions-schedule

 

[4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CxpJDLrcKY

 

[5] https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/43047799/nba-christmas-key-questions-top-players-big-matchups

 

[6] https://abc.com/news/e0b83734-f5b2-43a6-a569-fdcaaf81043f/category/4249627

 

[7] https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/43162543/nba-christmas-day-success-come-better-lebron-steph-durant-wemby-ant

 

[8] https://espnpressroom.com/us/press-releases/2025/08/espn-and-abc-unveil-blockbuster-nba-opening-week-and-christmas-day-broadcast-schedules-for-2025-26-regular-season/

 

[9] https://www.nba.com/news/nba-on-christmas-day-most-memorable-moments

 

[10] https://andscape.com/features/a-history-of-christmas-day-game-debuts/

 

[11] https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/43133002/nba-christmas-day-matchups-lived-hype

 

[12] https://blog.ticketmaster.com/nba-on-christmas-day/

 

[13] https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/nba-christmas-ratings-viewership-chart/

 

[14] https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/1hmvag6/ourand_nba_overnights_are_up_76_again_thats_with/

 

[15] https://espnpressroom.com/us/press-releases/2024/12/nba-exclusively-on-espn-platforms-most-watched-christmas-in-five-years-and-up-84-percent-from-last-year/

 

[16] https://www.nba.com/news/nba-christmas-day-2024-most-watched-five-years

 

[17] https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/nfl-games-christmas-start-times-184103600.html

 

[18] https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/2025-nfl-christmas-games-schedule-teams-how-watch

 

[19] https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikestraw/2025/12/09/nfl-christmas-games-2025-schedule-players-to-watch-where-to-stream/

 

[20] https://sports.yahoo.com/nba-sees-84-jump-in-christmas-ratings-best-numbers-in-5-years-despite-nfl-competition-223250104.html

 

[21] https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2021/12/nfl-nba-christmas-ratings-packers-browns-lakers-warriors-nets/

 

[22] https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/media/2024/12/26/nfl-nba-christmas-day-viewership/77242357007/

 

[23] https://frontofficesports.com/how-the-nfl-and-netflix-stole-christmas-spotlight-from-the-nba/

 

[24] https://deadline.com/2025/12/nfl-thanksgiving-viewership-cowboys-chiefs-packers-lions-1236634819/

 

[25] https://www.sportsvideo.org/2025/12/05/ratings-roundup-more-than-47-million-fans-tuned-in-for-thanksgiving-day-football-on-fox-sports-this-year/

 

[26] https://www.arlingtontx.gov/News-Articles/2025/December/Cowboys-Set-Record-Breaking-Thanksgiving-NFL-Viewership-in-Arlington