Christmas Day and the NBA have been intertwined for nearly eight decades, a relationship that began in earnest on December 25, 1947, with a tripleheader featuring teams many modern fans would struggle to name. The Chicago Stags. The Providence Steamrollers. The St. Louis Bombers. What started as a novelty evolved into one of the league’s most enduring stages, a day when the sport invites itself into living rooms across generations.
When Barry was a teenager, Christmas became personal. He scored 50 points on December 25, a performance that still lives beyond the numbers. The Hall of Famer remembers the day with unusual clarity. “Being a fan of movies, I remember seeing The Sand Pebbles, starring Steve McQueen, on Christmas Eve prior to that game,” Barry told AllSportsPeople. “I remember that Nate Thurmond was awesome in that game with 21 points and 27 rebounds. I also remember that the ‘Big O’ had a big game with 38 points.”
It wasn’t just a great night. It was a moment that revealed how the NBA could turn a holiday into a stage.
Years later, Bernard King authored his own Christmas legend. In 1984, King exploded for 60 points against the Nets at Madison Square Garden, piling up points in a hurry and earning 26 trips to the free throw line. Few remember the Knicks lost that afternoon. The performance transcended the result, cementing itself as one of the most iconic individual displays the holiday has ever produced.
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Now the tradition belongs to another generation. Luka Dončić has made December 25 his own canvas, dropping 50 points and reminding fans that the holiday spotlight still gravitates toward the game’s brightest stars. The jerseys change. The eras shift. The meaning remains.
For the Houston Rockets, Christmas has offered a mixed history. Hakeem Olajuwon played three times on the holiday and lost all three. In 2003, Steve Francis delivered a different memory, leading Houston to a Christmas Day win over Kobe Bryant and the Lakers in Los Angeles, proof that the day can belong to anyone willing to seize it.
The Rockets return to the stage again this season against the Lakers, carrying both history and opportunity. Longtime Rockets radio voice Matt Thomas understands what the moment represents. “It’s an honor to be playing on Christmas,” Thomas told AllSportsPeople. “Kevin Durant has probably spent most of his adult life in an NBA building on December 25, so it’s probably just one of 82 for him. But for the younger guys, this is a great opportunity for America to see who these Rockets are and how they measure up against a Lakers team in the top portion of the West.”
That is the essence of Christmas basketball. Not simply stars or standings, but continuity. A shared date on the calendar that keeps handing the game forward, from Rick Barry’s memories, to Bernard King’s legend, to Luka Dončić’s present, and now to the next generation watching it unfold.
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