NBA Christmas Day records: Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, and Bernard King are the greatest Christmas day scorers in league history

Who has the most points on Christmas Day? 3 separate scoring records from NBA Christmas that stand to this day. 

The NBA has seen some of its most memorable matchups and moments take place on Christmas. Ever since the league started ‘NBA on Christmas’ 74 years ago, it has become a tradition for marquee teams to duke it out against one another in a 5 game slate that runs from the afternoon all the way through midnight. 

NBA Christmas also has its own records in place over these storied 74 years. Sure, they don’t mean much in the grand scheme of things as games played on Jesus’s birthday count just as much or just as little as the rest of the 81 regular season games.

Also read: “Hey NBA, you should look into the NFL COVID policy and panic less”: D’Angelo Russell calls out the league for being overcautious with their Health and Safety Protocols

However, it is pretty cool to see who has been the most electric on one of the biggest stages the NBA has to offer. When it comes to scoring, no one’s done it like Kobe Bryant, Bernard King, and Tracy McGrady on NBA Christmas. 

Who has scored the most points on NBA Christmas, combined? 

Who other than Kobe Bryant could’ve held such a record. In the whopping 16 games he’s played on NBA Christmas, he’s scored 395 points. He’s averaged 24.6 points on 40.8% shooting from the field in those games. 

Who can forget the time he torched Shaquille O’Neal and the Miami Heat in 2004 for 42 points in O’Neal’s first season away from Kobe in 8 years? Or the time he went off against the Phoenix Suns in 2007 for a light 38 points. 

The man Bryant faced in 2010 on Christmas Day, LeBron James is on pace to best Kobe’s 395 points record as he’s merely 12 points shy of tying it. As expected, the Lakers are playing on XMas this year so LeBron-watch is most definitely activated for tonight.

Also read: “Ben Simmons trade talk has been remarkably low”: Why teams around the NBA have started to lose interest in trading for the Sixers star

Who has scored the most points in a single NBA Christmas game? 

Bernard King is perhaps the most underrated scorer in NBA history. He set the record for most points scored in a single game on NBA Christmas Day back in 194 and the record stands to this day, almost 40 years in the future. 

The New York Knick scored a whopping 60 points against the Nets in a 120-114 loss on Christmas, while having 40 points in the first half. “I was at the height of my basketball career and profession. It was Christmas Day and I felt it was an honor to play,” said King.

On Christmas Day in 1984, Bernard King had one of the most iconic Christmas performances in NBA history.

He dropped 60 points against the Nets, 40 of those points in one half.

🎥 @nyknicks pic.twitter.com/FTGCnbPpSy

— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) December 25, 2021

Also read: “Christmas is not a lot of fun for me, it’s just a big waste of money”: When Charles Barkley went all Grinch mode and expressed his disliking for the joyous occasion

Who has the highest scoring average on NBA Christmas Day? 

Tracy McGrady holds the record for having the highest scoring average in league history for NBA Christmas. It stands at an incredible 43.3 with him having torched the Pistons for 46 points in 2002 while also going up against a rookie LeBron James in 2003. 

In the game against James, a 24 y/o McGrady had himself a night by scoring 41 points to LeBron’s 34. 

NBA Christmas Day Facts: Tracy McGrady’s Christmas Day scoring average of 43.3 points is by far the highest in NBA history.

— #4NEM “Yes Sir” 🎹 (@StuntmanBeatz) August 24, 2012