Dec 25, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) controls the ball against Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images Dec 25, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) controls the ball against Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

NBA Brought In Massive Ratings On Christmas Day

Originally posted on Lakers Nation | By Matthew Valento | Last updated Jan 4, 2026 9:00 AM ET

Christmas Day is a marquee event in the NBA calendar as teams like to be on a grand stage with everyone watched. This year featured intriguing matchups, with LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers notably hosting Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets.

That was in addition to plenty of stars featured with rookie phenom Cooper Flagg, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Stephen Curry, Nikola Jokic, Anthony Edwards and Victor Wembanyama, among other. Last year, ratings were a hotly debated topic as the NFL tried to take over Christmas Day while many NBA fans complain that the season is too long with numerous stars sitting out of marquee games.

Under a new media rights deal, NBC/Peacock and Amazon Prime have spiced up the NBA viewing experience though, along with ESPN. So far, the results seem to be paying off as this year’s Christmas Day slate was the most-watched in 15 years, via NBA Communications:

The NBA delivered its most-watched Christmas Day in 15 years. More than 47 million people in the U.S. watched the NBA on Christmas Day across Disney networks – up 45% vs. last year.

(Excludes the 2011-12 season which started on Christmas Day.) pic.twitter.com/evgUQjlYWp

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) December 31, 2025

The NBA was the most-viewed brand across social media on Christmas Day, generating 1.6 billion views – up 23% vs. last year.

(Source: Videocites) pic.twitter.com/1etiztHJO7

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) December 31, 2025

The New York Knicks had an impressive comeback win at Madison Square Garden over the Cleveland Cavaliers, which featured a strong start to kick off Christmas. Then, Wembanyama and company beat the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder for the third time in a matter of weeks.

Lastly, Jokic put up 56 points, 16 rebounds and 15 assists in the nightcap in a thrilling overtime win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, where Edwards put up 44 points of his own. Overall, this holiday was a success for the NBA after battling outside criticisms from fans, and hopefully, that positive momentum carries on throughout the rest of this season.

LeBron James discusses significance of playing on Christmas Day

Nobody knows what it is like to play on Christmas like Lakers star LeBron James. Now in his 23rd season, James played in his 20th Christmas Day game and the one downside of that is that he couldn’t spend time with his family.

When asked about the significance of playing on a holiday, he acknowledged that he would rather spend the entire day with his loved ones. However, the 41-year-old knows that at the end of the day, he needs to suit up and put on a performance for his team and it’s an honor to get to play on Christmas.

This article first appeared on Los Angeles Lakers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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