The NBA has always considered Christmas Day to be their defacto start of the regular season, with the best teams in the league always being showcased for a national audience. But of the last couple of years, the NFL has now decided that along with Thanksgiving, they also would have games on Christmas Day for fans. A pair of big men in the league have made their opinions known about the problem this presents for the league, and surprisingly, they come out on almost polar opposites of the argument.
Hall of Famer Is Angry The NFL Is Encroaching on Christmas.
On Inside The NBA Christmas night, Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley voiced his displeasure that the NFL scheduled three contests that would coincide with a large part of the NBA’s five-game schedule.
“The NFL got greedy and started adding Christmas games. We used to have this day to ourselves, but Roger Goodell and them pigs at the NFL always want to hog every day of the week now,” Barkley said. “Christmas is an NBA day.”
The NFL has now scheduled games on Christmas Day for the past six seasons. The NBA on the other hand has not scheduled games on Thanksgiving Day, which fans associate with football, since 2010 despite the regular season being in full swing.
Draymond Green Does Not Share Barkley’s Feeling Of NBA Playing Christmas Day
Warriors forward Draymond Green has seen his team play on Christmas Day every year since 2013, but unlike Barkley’s feeling that the NBA should be the only league playing December 25, he feels that playing on Christmas is detrimental.
“Playing on Christmas Day also f*cking sucks. And the reason it sucks is, number one, what I—what I just said, uh, it can affect your mood,” Green said on his podcast. “Number two, we are human beings and, just like everyone else, enjoy Christmas Day with our families. That kinda gets messed up for us. Um, they’re in their homes or on vacation with their families, makin’ memories. We don’t—we don’t get that opportunity. So I hate when people are like, ‘Oh man, it’s an honor to play on Christmas Day.’ People should shut up. Like, no—you should shut up, because whether you played on Christmas Day or not, I don’t—I don’t really care about the perspective.”
Draymond Green says playing on Christmas Day f*cking sucks 👀
“Playing on Christmas also f*cking sucks. The reason it sucks number 1 it can affect your mood. Number 2 we are human beings and enjoy Christmas Day with our families… Honored to miss family time? Honored to miss… pic.twitter.com/hQWISQQuIX
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) December 29, 2025
Unfortunately for both Green and Barkley, you’ll probably see both the NBA and NFL playing on Christmas Day for years to come.