For a long time, professional leagues seemed to have courteous toward each other. While not explicitly stated, Thanksgiving has been the NFL’s holiday while Christmas had been the NBA’s. This was partially due to the certainty of Thanksgiving being on a Thursday while Christmas Day could be any day of the week.
For over a decade, the NBA has owned the day with five games spread out throughout. The league often ramps up to high-profile matchups later in the day.
Last year, the Cleveland Browns played the Green Bay Packers on Christmas Day and did huge ratings for the league.
