The first NBA game played on December 25 Arrived in 1947, a year after the NBA’s inception, when the New York Knicks beat the Providence Steamrollers in Madison Square Garden 89–75.
Ever since then, the NBA has played with games each year on Christmas Day except in 1998 (when a lockout canceled half the 1998–99 season). By comparison, Major League Baseball is in its own off-season throughout Christmas, the National Football League only programs Christmas games when Christmas falls on the weekend (and even then only programs games on Christmas occasionally) and the National Hockey League’s collective bargaining agreement forbids playing games on Christmas Day (and, except if it falls on a Saturday, Christmas Eve as well). In college football, the only bowl game traditionally scheduled for Christmas has become the defunct Aloha Bowl (and also for a single year, its replacement, the Hawaii Bowl). The NBA is the only league to frequently schedule games on December 25.
In the first days proximity dictated the majority of the matchups. Teams and their geographical competitions would perform to cut down on holiday travel and also to let them have time with their families. According to Dr. Jack Ramsay, who coached the Portland Trail Blazers from 1976–77 (their only championship season) into 1986,”Christmas supposed being at home with the family and using a game we always won. This was a perfect Christmas for me personally.” He also set the record for most coaching victories on Christmas Day with 11, an achievement that Phil Jackson later matched in 2008.
The New York Knicks placed on a show three years. In 1 game (1984), hall-of-fame forward Bernard King scoring 60 points–the most ever scored by a player on Christmas Day, With the dawn of television and the excitement caused by these games, the NBA decided to scheduled games over the vacation which showcased the best teams and players.
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