NBA Christmas Day Team Records and Standings
Since the first Christmas Day games in 1947, NBA teams have competed in hundreds of holiday matchups. Some franchises have become fixtures of the Christmas schedule, while others have appeared only occasionally or have never played on December 25.
The New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers have been among the most frequent participants in the NBA's Christmas tradition. Other franchises, including the Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, Golden State Warriors and Detroit Pistons, have also accumulated long histories of holiday games.
The table below includes all 30 current NBA franchises, with their historical Christmas Day appearances and results. Each team name links to its NBAHoopsOnline franchise history page.
Historical coverage: The records below reproduce the standings currently published in the NBAHoopsOnline archive, including the 2025 Christmas Day results. Historical franchise totals may include games played under earlier team names or in previous cities.
All-Time NBA Christmas Day Standings
Historical Notes and Christmas Day Facts
Most Christmas Day appearances: The New York Knicks lead the NBAHoopsOnline standings with 58 appearances, followed by the Los Angeles Lakers with 52. Both franchises have been regular features of the holiday schedule for generations.
Most Christmas Day victories: The Knicks lead the standings with 26 victories, followed closely by the Lakers with 25. Their high totals reflect their frequent appearances on December 25.
Highest winning percentage: Among teams with at least 10 appearances in the published standings, the Miami Heat lead with a 12-2 record and an .857 winning percentage. The Portland Trail Blazers follow with a 14-4 record and a .778 winning percentage.
Teams with fewer appearances: The Memphis Grizzlies have appeared once, while the Toronto Raptors have made two appearances. The Charlotte Hornets are listed as the only current NBA franchise without a Christmas Day appearance.
Historic franchises: Several of these records span multiple cities and team names. The Warriors have played in Philadelphia, San Francisco and Golden State. The Kings have represented Rochester, Cincinnati, Kansas City-Omaha, Kansas City and Sacramento. The Lakers began in Minneapolis before moving to Los Angeles.
Modern Christmas games: The 2025 schedule added appearances for the Cavaliers, Mavericks, Nuggets, Warriors, Rockets, Lakers, Timberwolves, Knicks, Thunder and Spurs. Those results are included in the original NBAHoopsOnline standings reproduced above.
How to Read the Christmas Day Standings
Last Christmas Game: The most recent December 25 game listed for each team, including the result, final score and opponent.
Games: Total Christmas Day appearances credited to the franchise in the archive.
Wins and Losses: The team's cumulative Christmas Day results.
Win %: The winning percentage recorded in the original standings. The figures are retained as published pending reconciliation of any arithmetic discrepancies.
A franchise's record may include games played under former names. For example, the Sacramento Kings' history includes the Rochester Royals, Cincinnati Royals and Kansas City-era teams.
More NBA Christmas Day History
Submit a Record or Correction
If you know of an important record that would make a good addition to this page, or notice an error in one of the existing entries, please send the information.
When suggesting an addition, please include the date, teams, player or record involved and a reliable source when available.
Send corrections, additions and updates to:
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Submissions will be reviewed before changes are made to NBAHoopsOnline historical records.
