NBA: Ranking players with the most points on Christmas Day
Christmas Day NBA games are a long-standing tradition, starting in 1947 when the New York Knicks defeated the Providence Steamrollers at Madison Square Garden. Since then, the league has featured marquee teams and stars every non-lockout year. This has resulted in iconic performances, with basketball legends dominating the holiday scoring charts. Here are the top five players with most points scored on Christmas Day.
LeBron James - Los Angeles Lakers (476 points)
The NBA's all-time scoring leader LeBron James stands atop this list with a record 476 points across 18 Christmas Day games. Notably, James is one of the two active players on this list and is the only player to cross 400 points. Meanwhile, he also boasts 26.4 ppg on 48.9 FG%. Additionally, James' highest score (39 points) came against the Brooklyn Nets (2021).
Kobe Bryant - Los Angeles Lakers (395 points)
Kobe Bryant is the second Los Angeles Lakers player to feature on this list. Bryant stands second in this list with 395 points in 16 Christmas Day games. Additionally, Bryant has played all the 16 games for the Lakers. Meanwhile, he also has managed a 24.6 ppg on 40.8 FG% in these games. Bryant's highest score (42) was against the Miami Heat (2004).
Oscar Robertson - Cincinnati Royals (377 points)
Oscar Robertson of the Cincinnati Royals sits in third position on this list thanks to his 377 points. Robertson played 12 Christmas Day games in total most of them for the Royals. Overall, he managed a 31.4 ppg on 47.0 FG% in these games. Additionally, the one-time NBA Champion scored his highest points (40) vs the Lakers in 1961 playing for the Royals.
Kevin Durant - Phoenix Suns (315 points)
Kevin Durant is only the second active player on this list, behind Lakers' James. However, Durant has managed 315 points across 11 Christmas Day games and is one point ahead of Dwayne Wade. Meanwhile, in this 11 games he has amassed 28.6 ppg on 51.2 FG%, (the highest filed % in this list). His highest scoring game (44) came against the Denver Nuggets (2010).
Dwyane Wade - Miami Heat (314 points)
Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade rounds out the top five, with his 314 points across 13 Christmas Day Games. Notably, Wade has amassed all these points while playing for the Heat. He is also the fourth non-active player on this list. Overall, the forward boasts an average of 24.1 ppg on 45.7 FG% in these games. Additionally, his highest scoring game was against LA (2006).
