{"id":75892,"date":"2025-12-25T21:33:12","date_gmt":"2025-12-26T00:33:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/the-athletic-what-are-lebron-james-most-memorable-christmas-day-performances\/"},"modified":"2025-12-25T21:33:12","modified_gmt":"2025-12-26T00:33:12","slug":"the-athletic-what-are-lebron-james-most-memorable-christmas-day-performances","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/en\/the-athletic-what-are-lebron-james-most-memorable-christmas-day-performances\/","title":{"rendered":"The Athletic: What are LeBron James\u2019 most memorable Christmas Day performances?"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Editor\u2019s Note: Read more NBA coverage from The Athletic\u00a0here<\/a>. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA or its teams.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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LeBron James has been synonymous with NBA Christmas Day games for as long as he\u2019s been in the league. His 19 appearances on the holiday stage are the most of any player in league history, and he has led his teams to an 11-8 record in those games, with his 11 Christmas wins representing another\u00a0all-time record<\/a>. And, yes, James has scored more points on Christmas Day (507) than any other player in the history of the NBA.<\/p>\n

This year, James will play on Christmas for the 20th time in his career when the Los Angeles Lakers host the Houston Rockets at 8 p.m. (ET). In\u00a0recent comments\u00a0to the press, James admitted that he\u2019d prefer to spend the holiday at home, but acknowledged the importance of the day on the NBA calendar and the honor it is to represent the league on the occasion.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would like to be home on the couch with my family all throughout the day,\u201d he said. \u201cBut our number is called, so we have to go out and perform \u2026 But I mean, it\u2019s the game, it\u2019s the game I love. It\u2019s the game I watched when I was a kid on Christmas Day, watching a lot of the greatest play the game on Christmas. It\u2019s always been an honor to play it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here are some of the standout performances from James\u2019 19 previous Christmas Day games.<\/p>\n\n

Cleveland Cavaliers at Orlando Magic, 2003<\/h3>\n
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Zion Williamson\u2019s 32 points are the 2nd most scored on Christmas Day by a player before turning 21. LeBron James put up 34 on #NBAXmas<\/a> in 2003. #NBAVault<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/frVWQEOTNB<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 NBA History (@NBAHistory) December 26, 2020<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cI\u2019m LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers and I want to wish everyone a happy holiday, Merry Christmas, and hopefully Santa brings you all your gifts that you asked for,\u201d\u00a0James said<\/a>\u00a0in a promotional video before making his Christmas Day debut as an 18-year-old rookie. James rose to the occasion with 34 points for Cleveland, but Tracy McGrady ultimately stole the show with 41 points in the 113-101 Orlando win.<\/p>\n

Still, James\u2019 performance marked the arrival of a new superstar on the NBA\u2019s grandest regular-season stage.<\/p>\n\n

Cleveland Cavaliers at Los Angeles Lakers, 2009<\/h3>\n

Christmas Day 2009 delivered a matchup between James and Kobe Bryant during a period in league history when the question of LeBron versus Kobe as the NBA\u2019s best player was one of the hottest debates in sports. Inside a packed Staples Center, Cleveland jumped out to a commanding first-half lead that stunned the Los Angeles crowd and shifted the game\u2019s tone for good.<\/p>\n

James controlled the action throughout the game, with 26 points and nine assists, while Bryant notched 35 points, 10 boards and eight assists in a vintage performance \u2014 but the Cavaliers walked away with a 102\u201387 win.<\/p>\n

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James led the Cavaliers to a Christmas Day win in Los Angeles in 2009.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

Miami Heat at Los Angeles Lakers, 2010<\/h3>\n

James returned to the City of Angels for a Christmas Day date with the Lakers in 2010, only this time he was wearing a new uniform and leading a different team. After joining the Miami Heat as a free agent in the previous offseason, James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and the rest of the \u201cHeatles\u201d arrived in L.A. looking to make a statement against the defending champion Lakers, who had won back-to-back NBA titles in 2009 and 2010.<\/p>\n

In his first holiday appearance with the Heat, James recorded the first Christmas Day triple-double of his career, dictating the game on both ends and using his size and vision to control the tempo while limiting the impact of Lakers stars Bryant and Pau Gasol. The result was a 96-80 Miami win, as LeBron\u2019s all-around game stole the spotlight in another chapter of one of the defining rivalries of the era.<\/p>\n\n

Cleveland Cavaliers at Golden State Warriors, 2015<\/h3>\n

Six months after the Warriors defeated James\u2019 Cavaliers in the 2015 NBA Finals to claim Golden State\u2019s first championship since 1975, the teams staged a finals rematch at Oracle Arena on Christmas Day. The Warriors entered the game with a 28-1 record and on pace to break the league\u2019s all-time single-season wins record (which they did, finishing the 2015-16 season 73-9).<\/p>\n

James and the Cavs successfully dragged Stephen Curry and the Warriors into a slow-paced, low-scoring contest, but Golden State still prevailed, 89-83. James finished with 25 points and nine rebounds, but Draymond Green delivered a monster all-around performance with 22 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists. The story, however, was far from over. James and the Cavs would get their revenge when it mattered most, coming back from a 3-1 deficit in the 2016 finals to deliver Cleveland its first title in franchise history and spoil the Warriors\u2019 record-breaking season.<\/p>\n

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James and the Cavaliers lost to Golden State on Christmas in 2015, but Cleveland got its revenge later that season, in the 2016 finals.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

Dallas Mavericks at Los Angeles Lakers, 2020<\/h3>\n

The NBA framed Christmas Day 2020 as a battle between eras, with James taking on basketball wunderkind Luka Don\u010di\u0107. Once the game tipped off, the message from the defending-champion Lakers was clear: this was still LeBron\u2019s league. He controlled the tempo from start to finish, dissecting Dallas\u2019 defense and steering the Lakers to a 138-115 win.<\/p>\n

Anthony Davis led all scorers with 28 points, Don\u010di\u0107 delivered 27 points and seven assists in his first Christmas appearance, and James ended up with 22 points and 10 assists. James also celebrating another career milestone in this game, as he moved past Oscar Robertson into second place on the NBA\u2019s all-time Christmas Day scoring list. At the time, he trailed only Kobe Bryant, but James would go on to surpass him and claim the top spot on Christmas Day 2022.<\/p>\n\n

Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Lakers, 2024<\/h3>\n

Playing in his record-setting 19th Christmas game, James led the Lakers to a 115-113 win over the Warriors, with the outcome decided by an Austin Reaves driving layup with one second remaining.<\/p>\n

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AUSTIN REAVES WINS IT FOR THE LAKERS ON #NBAXmas<\/a>! pic.twitter.com\/7SFj98Lmuh<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 NBA (@NBA) December 26, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

James put on his own virtuoso performance that day, scoring 31 points and handing out 10 assists against Golden State. With the victory \u2014 the eleventh Christmas Day win in his career \u2014 James became the winningest player in the NBA Yuletide history. It\u2019s hard to deny his status as an all-time great holiday performer, even if, by his own admission, he\u2019d rather be celebrating at home.<\/p>\n

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Denny Alfonso<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0is a trending news writer for The Athletic. An Emmy Award\u2013winning New Yorker, Denny previously covered the NBA, MLB, and MLS for ESPN, where she produced and reported the Soccer in America series, earning a Telly Award. She also covered the Rio Olympics for ESPN. Before joining ESPN, Denny worked as an investigative reporter for NBC Telemundo in Los Angeles and has been a contributor to both Yahoo and The Associated Press in New York.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n