Ranked: The NBA's most memorable moments on Christmas Day

Christmas Day has been one of the signature days of the NBA season for many decades. Many of the sport’s greatest players have delivered memorable performances on the holiday with a national audience watching. We’ll take a look at the eight most memorable moments in NBA Christmas Day history. All statistics are sourced from Basketball Reference.

There was some serious star power on the floor in the closing moments of the San Antonio Spurs-Phoenix Suns matchup. Steve Nash, Amar’e Stoudemire, Shaquille O’Neal, Grant Hill, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili all had some of the best careers the game has ever seen, but instead, it was Roger Mason Jr. who put a bow on the contest.

The ball went to Parker, who drove the lane but was cut off by a defender. He kicked the ball out to Mason Jr., who calmly sank the three pointer at the buzzer to win the game. It was probably the highlight of his career, as the journeyman guard averaged 6.3 points and ended up playing for seven different teams throughout his career.

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Sports fans are always consumed with potential and how great a player can be. That was the narrative in 2003, as LeBron James was playing in his rookie season in the NBA. It was pretty clear that James would turn out to be something special, but one of the league’s established stars upstaged the youngster on Christmas.

Orlando Magic star Tracy McGrady scored 41 points, and either scored or assisted on 12 of Orlando’s 14 points in overtime to secure a win over James’ Cleveland Cavaliers. James was impressed by McGrady’s display, as he told the NBA’s website, “He’s a future Hall of Famer. Guys like him, you cannot stop; you can only hope to contain him.”

The early 2010s saw Derrick Rose rise to prominence for the Chicago Bulls, as he became one of the most unguardable players in the league. He won NBA MVP in 2010-2011, and his Christmas Day game against the Los Angeles Lakers was another opportunity to demonstrate just how great he was.

Rose made a game-winning floater with 4.8 seconds remaining after they were able to force a Los Angeles Lakers turnover. Rose told ESPN, “If it weren’t for my teammates, making the steal, and getting the ball to me at the end, there’s no way I could have gotten that shot off to help us win that game.”

Much like Tracy McGrady put a damper on LeBron James’ first Christmas Day game in 2003, Ewing did the same for Michael Jordan during the latter’s first contest on the holiday in 1986. The New York Knicks star ended with 28 points, 17 rebounds and two blocks, but it was his final shot that withstood the test of time.

Knicks guard Trent Tucker fired up a shot in the closing moments with New York down one that missed badly. Luckily, the ball ricocheted to Ewing, who jumped, caught the ball, and deftly shot it back into the hoop for the game winning basket. He told the Daily News, “The last time I was in a game that was this exciting was at Georgetown.”

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Wilt Chamberlain was known for putting up mind-blowing statistics throughout the course of his legendary NBA career. Christmas Day in 1961 was just another day at the office for him, as he scored 59 points and grabbed 36 rebounds. No one in league history has ever snatched more rebounds in a Christmas Day game than Chamberlain did that game.

Chamberlain’s Philadelphia Warriors needed every single point and rebound in order to hang in with the New York Knicks. Ultimately, it wasn’t enough, as New York just edged them out 136-135 in overtime.

Everyone was geared up for the Cleveland Cavaliers versus Golden State Warriors game on Christmas, as it represented an NBA Finals rematch that the Cavaliers won earlier in the year. The game did not disappoint, as it came down to the last few seconds with the ball in Kyrie Irving’s hands.

Irving drove the ball hard to the basket, before pivoting and taking a difficult shot over the outstretched arms of Klay Thompson. Thompson played pretty solid defense, but Irving nailed the fadeaway, which gave Cleveland the win. LeBron James said of Irving after the game, “The kid is special. It was never in doubt.”

The Los Angeles Lakers won three straight titles with Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, and made another NBA Finals appearance in 2004 together. Despite their massive success, feuding behind the scenes prompted the Lakers to trade O’Neal to the Miami Heat. The big man made his return to Los Angeles on Christmas Day in 2004.

Bryant and Shaq barely acknowledged each other before tipoff, giving each other a half-hearted tap. The game turned out to be memorable, as the Heat defeated the Lakers 104-102 in overtime. Bryant poured in 42 points, but it wasn’t enough as O’Neal scored 24 points of his own, to go along with 11 rebounds.

Chamberlain’s 59 points from 1961 is a record that lasted for over three decades, until Bernard King dropped 60 for the New York Knicks in 1984. However, just like Chamberlain’s heroic efforts, King’s achievement came in a loss, as the Knicks were beaten 120-114 by the division rival New Jersey Nets.

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King looked back on the privilege of playing on Christmas. He told Basketball Network, “There weren’t five games on the schedule like today. We were the sole attraction. You knew all your peers and the basketball world was watching.” King also said “I could recognize and feel all the spacing on the floor, the seams in the defense… I scored 40 points in the opening two quarters, the greatest first half I ever played in my career.”