NBA fans got a Christmas Day gift in the form of a matchup between legends LeBron James and Kevin Durant.
The matchup between James’ Los Angeles Lakers and Durant’s Houston Rockets will be the third out of five games on the holiday, and it’s certainly one of the most intriguing as both teams are vying for playoff positioning in the competitive Western Conference.
LeBron vs. Durant will be highest-scoring matchup in NBA history
James and Durant will combine to make some NBA history when they take the floor on Christmas. The duo has scored a total of 73,630 points in the league, which represents the most combined points in a head-to-head matchup ever.
THE HIGHEST-SCORING MATCHUP EVER.
— NBA (@NBA) December 24, 2025
WHAT A CHRISTMAS GIFT 🎁
LeBron vs. KD on #NBAXmas at 8pm/et on ABC & ESPN! Pic.twitter.com/rvcUkt4lwk
James is No. 1 on the league’s all-time scoring list with 42,429 points and counting, and Durant is No. 8 on the list with 31,201 points and counting. That’s a whole lot of point production for two of the greatest to ever play the game.
Both stars have ample experience when it comes to playing on Dec. 25. Durant has played in 12 games on the holiday, while James has played in the most Christmas Day games of all time (19).
Both players have been consistently appreciative of the opportunity to play in front of the masses on the Christmas stage, though James recently acknowledged that he'd prefer to be spending the holiday at home with his family.
“I'd much rather be at home with my family,” James said of playing on Christmas. "But I mean, it's the game, it's the game that I love. It's a game I watched when I was a kid on Christmas Day, watching a lot of the greatest play the game on Christmas.
“It's always been an honor to play it. Obviously, I'm gonna be completely honest, I would like to be home on the couch with my family all throughout the day. But our number is called, so we have to go out and perform and I look forward to it.”
Some may not appreciate James' honesty, but after having to work on Christmas for basically 20 years straight, his feelings are understandable.
This could be the last Christmas Day matchup we ever get between James and Durant, so pour some Eggnog, sit back and appreciate watching these two legends do battle while you can.