The NBA playing games on Christmas Day is one of their most well-known and longest-running traditions in the sport. Christmas Day games are often considered to be the most prestigious and important games during the regular season. Games on the holiday are scheduled to have the best teams and the best players matched up against each other, and it has made for plenty of iconic games and great moments on Dec. 25. Below, you can find out everything that you need to know about the history of NBA Christmas Day games.

History of the NBA on Christmas Day

The first season of the NBA was in 1946. Only one year later, in 1947, the NBA started playing on Dec. 25. The New York Knicks beat the Providence Steamrollers 89-75 on Christmas Day that year. The Baltimore Bullets also beat the Chicago Stags, 87-70, and the Washington Capitols beat the St. Louis Bombers by a score of 73-56. The NBA was known as the BAA at this point in time. The first Christmas Day games when the league was renamed the NBA occurred in 1949.

Games on NBA Christmas Day have been an annual tradition ever since. The league has had games on the holiday in every year since 1947 except for 1998, when the season was shortened because of a lockout.

In the early days of the league, the NBA would schedule Christmas games between teams that were geographically close to each other so players and staff members could still enjoy the holiday with their families before/after the game. Now, the league pins the best teams and players against each other on Christmas with the hope of getting thrilling games with a playoff-like feel.

ABC aired the first nationally televised Christmas Day broadcast in 1967. The Los Angeles Lakers played the San Diego Rockets in that game. In 2011, there was another lockout. Because of that, the season opener took place on Christmas Day.

Christmas Day records

The New York Knicks have played the most games on Christmas Day, but they have been far from the best team on Christmas. They have a record of 23-32. The Los Angeles Lakers have the most Christmas wins with 24, but even they are below .500 all-time. Their record is 24-25.

The Miami Heat have the best Christmas Day winning percentage. Their record is 11-2, meaning they have won 84.6 percent of their games. Meanwhile, the Toronto Raptors are 0-2 on Christmas. The Memphis Grizzlies also don't have a Christmas win, although they've only played on the holiday once.

The Charlotte Hornets are the only team that has not played on Christmas Day. There are plenty of frequent matchups that have occurred, with the Philadelphia 76ers vs. New York Knicks being the most common. The two teams have played each other 13 times, and the 76ers are up 8-5 in that series. They first played each other on Christmas in 1953, and they most recently played each other last season.

NBA Christmas Day 2023

Nikola Jokic, Bam Adebayo, Joel Embiid, Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum, Steph Curry, Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Jalen Brunson, Giannis Antetokounmpo. All with Santa Claus hats on and Christmas trees/snow/presents in the background.

The NBA has had five games on Christmas Day every year since 2008. That will again be the case this year. The Milwaukee Bucks and New York Knicks will kick off the action at 12 p.m. ET. The Bucks are 20-6 this season, but they have only played on Christmas nine times. They are 5-4 in those games, but now they will take on a team that has more Christmas experience than any other.

The Golden State Warriors will take on the Denver Nuggets at 2:30 p.m. ET. Denver is the defending champions, and it has become a tradition for the defending champions to play on Christmas. The previous year's NBA Finals winners have played on Christmas in every season since 2008.

The NBA's greatest rivalry is between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, and those two teams will also play each other on Christmas Day. That game is at 5 p.m. ET. The teams last faced off on Christmas in 2008 in a rematch of the previous season's championship.

At 8 p.m. ET, the Miami Heat will play the Philadelphia 76ers. Miami is only in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, but the team always seems to step up to the plate in big games.

The final game on Christmas Day is between the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns at 10:30 p.m. ET. This was supposed to be a star-studded matchup, and it still will be, but unfortunately, both teams will likely be without some of their best players. Kyrie Irving is nursing a heel injury, while Bradley Beal is out with an ankle injury.