Basketball has long served as a centerpiece to millions of Christmas households all over the country. This year will mark the 77th Christmas Day on which the NBA has played, and the slate is appealing. Five games will be played, featuring a dozen top-tier star players and elite shotmaking galore. It will be glorious to take in while surrounded by scraps of wrapping paper and empty eggnog glasses.
As the marquee holiday slate approaches, it’s as good a time as any to remember NBA ghosts of Christmas past. NBA legacies are built, at least in part, by yuletide performances. Christmas Day games are reserved for only the biggest and brightest stars the league has to offer, and viewers historically watch them more than other regular-season games (and even some postseason games). Epic showings put on in front of an audience illuminated by Christmas tree lights are remembered for far longer than any other December performance. It’s just different.
