The stars are out
Just take a look at the posters for this Thursday to be even more convinced. The program will be plentiful once again with the reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the triple MVP Nikola Jokic, the alien Victor Wembanyama and even Luka Doncic, who will all be present on the floors. A summons that looks like a reward for the actors. “It’s an honor to have the opportunity to be chosen for Christmas”recognized Erik Spoelstra in 2023. Same story with Anthony Edwards, who said in 2024 to the media Andscape: “I’m very, very happy. It’s Christmas. I don’t know how to explain it. I’ve never played at Christmas, so I’m excited to see what it’s like. I know it’s going to be fun.”
But if some are delighted to play that day, others are much less so. We think of LeBron James in particular, who will be having his 18th NBA Christmas Day this Thursday. A record for the one who overtook Kobe Bryant (16) and who soon spent more Christmas on the courts than with family. “If you ask any player in the league, yes, we would rather be at home with our families”he said a few years ago. “The NBA is the first league that had the courage to ask its players, that is to say its employees in concrete terms, to play on Christmas Day, which is still a traditionally sacred holiday for the vast majority of the planet”noted Rémi Reverchon, star host of the NBA on beIN Sports, in Le Figaro.
More followed than the playoffs
The choice between log or panettone therefore does not present itself for NBA stars. But this does not mean that the latter do not play the game. On the contrary, they often take advantage of it to sign big matches. It is not Bernard King and his 60 points, a record on Christmas Day, who will say the opposite. No more than Kobe and LeBron, who were often hit on December 25.
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This day is a showcase for the players but also and above all for the NBA. And the fans are there, as the audience records attest. In 2024, 5.5 million people were in front of their stations, on average, during NBA Christmas Day. This is more than during the playoffs, where there are between 4.5 and 5 million fans. Even if it is still about half as much as the NBA Finals, the success is there. In 2004, the game between the Lakers and the Heat reached an average of 13.2 million viewers. A record for Christmas. It must be said that the reunion between Kobe and Shaq, who no longer spoke to each other after the latter’s departure to Miami, had been cleverly staged by the US League.
NBA business day too
Because the NBA is also – and above all – using this day to market a little more. Between the advertising spots and the merchandising around this day, the TVs and the US League are picking up the cake, before their time. While franchises also take advantage of this day to increase the price of their seats. The New York Knicks, who usually start the festivities at Christmas, sold their tickets between $363 and $1,638, on their site, for the reception of the Cleveland Cavaliers. While prices fluctuated between $275 and $1,000 six days earlier. Same in Oklahoma City, which hosts the Wemby Spurs, where prices range from $106 to $538 compared to $42 for the cheapest seats three days earlier. But with Wemby, SGA and even Ajay Mitchell at the foot of the basket, it’s worth it, right?
