Celebrating the holidays with a heaping helping of basketball and football

Save one lockout-canceled holiday in 1998, the NBA’s top teams have met on December 25th each year since 1947, just one year after the Basketball Association of America (which later became the NBA) was formed.

• The first ever Christmas Day game was held at the iconic Madison Square Garden in New York City, where the NY Knicks beat the (now defunct) Providence Steamrollers 89–75.

• Twenty years later, the Lakers played the then–San Diego Rockets in what became the first nationally televised Christmas Day game, the first of many to be watched with full stomachs and a side of festive fun.

Needless to say, the NBA and yuletide cheer have gone hand in hand for decades, with two legendary players setting records and taking names on the Christmas Day stage:

• In 1984, the Knicks’ Bernard King set the Christmas Day points record, dropping 60 against the then–New Jersey Nets, a mark that still stands 39 years later.

• And we can’t forget about the King of Christmas himself, the aforementioned LeBron James, who’s the all-time Christmas Day scoring leader, amassing 507 points over his 19 appearances. Stuffing stockings and the stat sheet.

Thirteen hours of holiday hoops begins tomorrow at 12 p.m. ET, a loaded five-game slate that features star power, potential playoff previews, and budding rivalries. The gift that keeps on giving.

🫒 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. NY Knicks — 12 p.m. ET: This year’s NBA Cup champs, the Knicks are a Christmas Day staple, playing in an NBA–record 57 games on the occasion. They’re also bona fide title contenders…unlike the Cavaliers, who could find a lump of coal in their stockings: The NBA’s most expensive roster has looked pedestrian this season, a bah-humbug ROI indeed.

🧀 San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder — 2:30 p.m. ET: This budding rivalry is already perfect for the holiday cheese board, sharp and smooth with just the right amount of funky. Plus, it features two MVP candidates: Spurs unicorn Victor Wembanyama and Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. If Christmas joy could dunk, this game would be its highlight reel.

🍠 Dallas Mavericks vs. Golden State Warriors — 5 p.m. ET: Consider this merry matchup a classic tale of old dogs vs. new tricks. It’s too early to tie a bow on 37-year-old Warriors star Steph Curry’s illustrious career (especially given his output this season), but Mavs rookie Cooper Flagg’s stock is rising faster than Rudolph’s on that foggy Christmas Eve. The proof is in the figgy pudding.

🍗 Houston Rockets vs. LA Lakers — 8 p.m. ET: NBA fans are definitely on the nice list because there’s no shortage of star power in this potential playoff preview. Along with Lakers standout Luka Dončić, King James vs. Houston’s Kevin Durant is a holiday matchup we shouldn’t take for granted.

🥧 Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Denver Nuggets — 10:30 p.m. ET: The inimitable Nikola Jokić just keeps getting better — the three-time MVP is averaging a triple-double for the Nuggets. But Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards knows how to spread holiday cheer, too, with high-flying acrobatics and late-game heroics. Tee up a post-meal affogato and dig into this dessert.