By Ohm Youngmisuk | ESPN, 2025-12-23 20:00:00
对于 道格·里弗斯 (Doc Rivers) 来说，关于 圣诞大战 的记忆已经有些模糊了。
自1984年以来，里弗斯以球员或教练身份总共参加了17次圣诞大战。当他讲述两个关于他最喜欢的圣诞时刻的故事时，这位密尔沃基雄鹿队的主教练很自然地谈到了波士顿凯尔特人队与洛杉矶湖人队的宿敌对决——但他并不完全确定其中一段记忆是否真的发生在圣诞节。
作为前波士顿主教练，里弗斯分享了他最喜欢的一个故事：他曾在一趟客场之旅中，从凯尔特人随行团队的每位成员那里“集资”了100美元，然后将钱藏在了湖人主场客队更衣室的天花板里。（里弗斯这个传奇的激励策略实际上发生在2010年2月对阵湖人的一场常规赛后，凯尔特人队直到打进NBA总决赛才回去取回了那笔钱）。
他还认为，科比·布莱恩特 (Kobe Bryant) 和菲尔·杰克逊 (Phil Jackson) 的湖人队穿着复古短裤对阵他执教的凯尔特人那次，也可能发生在圣诞节。（实际上那是在2007年12月30日，日期很近，足以混淆记忆）。凯尔特人队和湖人队确实在2008年的圣诞节交过手。
里弗斯唯一记得清清楚楚的，是对于在节日比赛那种“爱恨交织”的情感。
“我打过很多场圣诞大战，”里弗斯向ESPN解释道。“感觉很不一样。我既爱又恨，因为能和家人在一起的时间真的太重要了。”
“但同时，也没有比这更棒的了。这是最想赢下的比赛。在一个圣诞节的下午，当你打完比赛并且赢了球——然后你和家人一起回家。那真是无与伦比的一天。我经历过一些非常美好的圣诞大战。”
对于那10支在备受瞩目的节日舞台上比赛的球队来说，他们必须将家庭的圣诞传统融入主场的比赛日流程中，或者如果身在客场，就得牺牲与亲人一同拆礼物的时光。
这就是为什么金州勇士队——他们将在蔡斯中心对阵达拉斯独行侠队，迎来连续第13年的圣诞大战——在12月25日客场作战时，会安排家人飞过去与他们会合。而尽管勒布朗 (LeBron) 和布朗尼·詹姆斯 (Bronny James) 有机会再次共同在圣诞节出战，这对湖人队的父子组合仍然需要围绕他们的比赛来安排詹姆斯一家的庆祝活动。
NBA会尽力让在节日工作的感觉更具庆祝氛围，比如送给教练和球员们一份礼物，可能是一个不错的皮质钱包、一个背包或一件电子产品。
“当你在736号房间醒来，你甚至会忘了那天是圣诞节，”勇士队主教练史蒂夫·科尔 (Steve Kerr) 向ESPN描述在客场打圣诞大战的感受。“然后你看到埃里克·豪森（Eric Hausen，勇士队运营副总裁）发来的短信说‘圣诞快乐’。你才反应过来，‘哦对，是圣诞节。’你下楼去三楼的宴会厅开会，每个人都互道‘圣诞快乐’，然后你们开始分析球探报告，这一切都感觉很奇特。”
“你去到球馆，总会收到一份来自[NBA总裁]亚当·萧华 (Adam Silver) 的礼物，这很贴心。然后你上场比赛，球馆里的每个人都沉浸在节日气氛中，因为他们刚过完自己的圣诞早晨，而你却在想着自己的家人，希望自己也能在家。但这就是现实。这是我们签约时就接受的一部分。”
那些在圣诞节有比赛的球员和教练们都同意科尔和里弗斯的观点，认为这是一种荣誉。但在这天比赛，尤其是在客场，有时也会让人感觉自己像个“格林奇”（扫兴的人）。
“如果比赛在下午，我们会准备一顿丰盛的晚餐，”里弗斯说。“如果比赛是当天最后一场，那这一天就糟透了。因为你白天在家就是干等着，然后才去打比赛。”
随着这个圣诞节的临近，球星和教练们向ESPN分享了他们的圣诞故事、节日感受，甚至是对在圣诞老人“上班”这天打球的抱怨。
故事速览：
詹姆斯一家的圣诞节
科尔的圣诞夜惊魂
格林的圣诞奇迹
我的圣诞愿望：一架私人飞机
米切尔的假日特辑
21岁的布朗尼·詹姆斯， 已经不记得有哪个圣诞节没在看他父亲比赛了。和布朗尼一样，整整一代人都是看着勒布朗·詹姆斯 (LeBron James) 自2003年新秀赛季以来，在12月25日这天出战了创纪录的19次，其中包括了过去18个连续的圣诞节。
这也意味着，每个节日，詹姆斯一家都必须与全世界分享他们的大家长。
“你只能希望那场比赛是在主场，这样他圣诞节就能待在家里了，”布朗尼告诉ESPN。“但我们总是在早上回到自己家拆礼物。如果他不在，我们就会等他，或者提前一天拆。所以，这事儿总有点像抛硬币一样。但我们总是尽力让它（在圣诞节当天）发生。”
去年的圣诞节是历史性的：这对父子组合成为首对在节日比赛中成为队友的父子。虽然布朗尼没有上场，但他看着父亲在金州客场力压斯蒂芬·库里 (Stephen Curry)，砍下31分、10次助攻、4个篮板、2次抢断和1次盖帽。
“我当然更愿意待在家里和家人在一起，”勒布朗在周六说道。“但这就是比赛。这是我热爱的比赛。我小时候就在圣诞节看球，看着许多史上最伟大的球员打球。能参与其中一直是一种荣誉。当然，老实说，我希望能整天都和家人在沙发上待着。但我的号码被叫到了，我们的号码被叫到了，所以我们必须上场表现。我也很期待。”
无论詹姆斯一家每年在哪一天庆祝圣诞节，小女儿祖里 (Zhuri) 总是那个开启庆祝仪式的人。
“祖里早上6点就会起床，已经在楼下等我们了，”布朗尼说。“我们大概一个小时后下楼，她还会因为我们太晚而生气。就那么坐着，一直盯着礼物。”
勒布朗在圣诞大战中总得分（507分）高居历史第一，总助攻（137次）第二，总篮板（143个）第六，但这一切的代价是，必须围绕比赛来安排家庭的圣诞庆祝活动。
“我从来没有真的（太）沮丧过，”布朗尼说。“我的意思是，有点吧，但我知道为什么。所以这对我来说不是什么大问题，而且我们总能找到办法在他回来后庆祝。但当然，每个家庭都希望在圣诞节团聚。有时候确实很困难。尤其对我妈妈（萨瓦娜 (Savannah)）来说，她得另外安排计划。”
“……我的兄弟姐妹和我妈妈在圣诞节总是在一起。但我们必须另外计划，好让我们所有人能在同一时间团聚。这是很多普通家庭不必面对的额外事情。所以这对整个家庭来说确实有点压力，但我们都做到了。”
无论何时，当40岁的勒布朗决定退役并结束他的圣诞大战连续出场纪录时，或许布朗尼将不得不经历他父亲在其职业生涯中几乎每个圣诞节都经历过的事情。
“那个时刻快要来了，可能到时是我在外奔波，而他们（家人）待在家里[没有我]，”布朗尼说。“所以，这是我们需要解决的问题。”
三十多年后， 纽约尼克斯队与芝加哥公牛队一场比赛的经典结尾，至今仍是科尔的圣诞噩梦。
那是1994年12月25日，在芝加哥，比赛还剩3.3秒，公牛队以100-97艰难领先。安东尼·梅森 (Anthony Mason) 从后场发出了一记贯穿全场的边线球，球径直飞向了篮筐右侧的科尔。当时还是公牛队射手的科尔跳起接球，但又担心自己会落地被吹走步。
于是他试图将球点给队友。
“我直接把球扔给了[尼克斯后卫]休伯特·戴维斯 (Hubert Davis)，”科尔告诉ESPN，时隔几十年，他对自己依然感到厌恶。“然后他投进一个三分，把比赛拖入了加时。这是我犯过的最大错误。一个巨大的失误。简直太蠢了。”
“我职业生涯最大的噩梦之一。”
幸运的是，斯科蒂·皮蓬 (Scottie Pippen) 用一场圣诞大战的最佳表现之一拯救了他。皮蓬在加时赛中包揽了芝加哥队的全部7分，并在最后时刻送出两次锁定胜局的盖帽，帮助球队以107-104险胜尼克斯。皮蓬全场出战53分钟，砍下36分、16个篮板和5次抢断。赛后，他拥抱了几乎是在道歉的科尔。
那个赛季晚些时候复出的迈克尔·乔丹 (Michael Jordan)，可能就不会那么宽容了。
“我可就成了‘背锅侠’了，”打了五场圣诞大战的科尔说。“不是伟大的那个GOAT（史上最佳），是背锅的那个。结果是好的，但过程太丢人了。那是个愚蠢至极的传球。我至今都不明白我当时为什么那么做。”
“现在的问题是，每到圣诞节，当NBA TV开始播放[经典]比赛时，他们仍然会播放那个镜头。我心想，‘我去，你们能放过我吗？’”
和许多人一样， 库里从小到大的圣诞传统就是看一整天的篮球赛。
所以，当轮到他登上圣诞大战的舞台时，库里深知这一刻的意义。
“这是一种恩赐，因为你明白，能成为10支参赛球队之一，意味着你很有市场价值，”库里告诉ESPN。“参加比赛的体验很有趣……在季中锦标赛出现之前，那曾是NBA在跨年之前最盛大的时刻。确实能感觉到一种与众不同的能量。”
今年圣诞节将是勇士队连续第13年参加圣诞大战，而在此期间，库里只缺席了其中三场。但直到最近，库里在圣诞节都找不到投篮手感。在他生涯前八场圣诞大战中，库里总计116投35中（命中率30.2%），其中三分球49投仅10中（20.4%）。他生涯前两次圣诞大战更是27投23失。
“我没有最喜欢的，”当被问及最喜欢的圣诞比赛记忆时，库里说道。“传统上我在圣诞节打得都不太好，所以也谈不上什么美好的回忆。”
德雷蒙德·格林 (Draymond Green) 最喜欢的圣诞记忆之一，发生在他2023年因击打优素福·努尔基奇 (Jusuf Nurkic) 而被无限期禁赛期间。当时格林非常沮丧，一度考虑退役，并且不得不重新找回对篮球的动力。
但在那12场禁赛期间，格林得以在家与孩子和家人度过了一个真正快乐的圣诞节——他说这在当时对他的心灵是一种慰藉。
“那感觉太棒了。真的棒极了，”格林告诉ESPN。“通常感觉很奇怪，因为圣诞节已经不像你儿时记忆中那样，可以和家人一起度过。我们已经有[五次在客场，其中一次格林被禁赛]。我记得我5岁儿子的第一个圣诞节，我就不在家。”
2023年的那个圣诞节，格林没有在丹佛和球队在一起，而是在家陪孩子们拆礼物。他唯一一次在勇士打圣诞大战时没有上场是在2020年，当时他因脚伤穿着便服坐在密尔沃基的板凳席上。
格林说，当他必须在圣诞节比赛时，他有时会“先过过瘾”，让孩子们先拆一个礼物，等他赛后回家再正式庆祝。但即便格林是仅有的10位在圣诞大战中拿到过三双的球员之一，在这一天比赛也常常让他感觉像吝啬鬼斯克鲁奇一样痛苦。
“作为一名NBA球员，你想登上那个舞台——万众瞩目的比赛，每个人都在看，”格林说。“但作为一个普通人，说实话，这感觉糟透了。”
“……我小时候绝对喜欢在圣诞节看NBA比赛。科比·布莱恩特和那身白色[湖人]球衣。我喜欢[沙奎尔·奥尼尔 (Shaquille O’Neal)]……但现在NFL也开始在圣诞节安排比赛了，所以也许他们可以接管圣诞节，我们就能回家了。”
对于很多NBA球员来说， 在常规赛的周末为了中午12点的比赛早起可能是最糟糕的事情。但对于约什·哈特 (Josh Hart) 来说，尼克斯队传统的早场比赛却是圣诞节的最佳比赛时间，尤其是现在他有两个两岁半的儿子。
“现在，圣诞节是充满魔力的，”哈特告诉ESPN。“最好的圣诞比赛就是12点那场，因为你早上显然要专注于比赛、篮球之类的事情。我喜欢这样。你醒来，吃点早餐，前往花园球馆，完成你的工作，希望能赢球，然后你就可以庆祝圣诞节了。”
这将是哈特的第七场圣诞大战。他曾以湖人球员、鹈鹕球员和现在的尼克斯球员身份参加过这场节日盛宴。
他最难忘的圣诞大战是在湖人队时，他们在2018年以127-101击败了勇士队。那是詹姆斯在洛杉矶的第一场圣诞大战，但这位巨星在胜利中腹股沟受伤。拉简·隆多 (Rajon Rondo) 挺身而出，替补出场贡献了15分、10次助攻和5个篮板。
“我们击败了那支拥有斯蒂芬、克莱·汤普森 (Klay Thompson)、[凯文·杜兰特 (Kevin Durant)]和德雷蒙德的勇士队，”哈特说。“勒布朗受伤了。隆多变成了‘季后赛隆多’，带领我们赢得了那场胜利。不幸的是，他的[手指]骨折了。我送了他一瓶09年的哈兰[酒庄]红酒，他在飞机上就打开了。那件事也让我真正开始对红酒感兴趣。”
接下来的一年则让哈特大呼扫兴。从湖人被交易到新奥尔良后，哈特、朗佐·鲍尔 (Lonzo Ball) 和布兰登·英格拉姆 (Brandon Ingram) 代表鹈鹕队登上了圣诞大战的舞台，但他们的比赛是当晚对阵丹佛掘金队的最后一场。虽然鹈鹕以112-100获胜，但他们赛后留在了丹佛。和许多客场球队一样，鹈鹕队选择第二天再飞，以获得一些休息，而不是在凌晨3点才回到家。
虽然球队确实把家人们接到了丹佛，并在赛前一晚在酒店举办了圣诞派对，但哈特说，他和一些鹈鹕球员当时唯一的圣诞愿望就是有一架私人飞机，能载他们赛后立刻飞回新奥尔良。
“在丹佛打晚上8点半的比赛，那是体验最差的一场，”圣诞大战战绩为4胜2负的哈特说。“我们当时在想，怎么才能回去？我们本打算赛后自己包一架‘私飞’（私人飞机）回家。但球队决定留宿一晚。所以，是的，那绝对是整个赛季最糟糕的一场比赛。”
距离多诺万·米切尔 (Donovan Mitchell) 上一次参加圣诞大战已经过去四年了。
在2021年犹他爵士队以120-116战胜独行侠队的圣诞大战中，他得到33分，并在对决中胜过了得到27分的杰伦·布伦森 (Jalen Brunson)。
今年圣诞节，他们将再次交锋，届时米切尔所在的克利夫兰骑士队将造访麦迪逊广场花园，挑战布伦森的纽约尼克斯队。
“天呐，我太喜欢在圣诞节打球了，”米切尔告诉ESPN，几乎无法掩饰自己的兴奋之情。“这意味着你作为一个团队，做得还不错，对吧？”
“我记得小时候在我祖母家，从中午12点起床一直到午夜12点，看一整天的篮球比赛。所以能成为其中的一部分，真的很特别。”
米切尔在爵士队的前两次圣诞大战中，他的习惯是让一切尽可能保持常态。他像准备普通比赛日一样备战，这意味着他在前一天或后一天庆祝圣诞节——他说，后一天正好是他母亲的生日。
但由于骑士队与尼克斯队的比赛是当天第一场，米切尔将有机会在赛后于他纽约地区的家中与家人一起庆祝并拆礼物。
在纽约和康涅狄格州地区长大的米切尔，即将在花园球馆实现一个圣诞梦想。
“这是我永远不会视为理所当然的事情，”米切尔说。“因为不是每个人都能说自己在圣诞节打过球，更不用说像我们一样在麦迪逊广场花园比赛了。”
“那将会非常特别。”
ESPN记者贾马尔·科利尔 (Jamal Collier) 和戴夫·麦克梅纳明 (Dave McMenamin) 对此报道亦有贡献。
由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
点击查看原文：NBA Christmas games: Bronny, Curry, more recount holiday tales
NBA Christmas games: Bronny, Curry, more recount holiday tales
CHRISTMAS DAY GAME memories are a blur for Doc Rivers.
Since 1984, Rivers has played or coached on Christmas a total of 17 times. As he recounted two stories about his favorite Christmas moments, the Milwaukee Bucks head coach naturally turned to the Boston Celtics-Los Angeles Lakers rivalry – but he wasn’t completely sure whether one of the memories was actually on Christmas.
Rivers, the former Boston head coach, told one of his favorite tales: He famously collected $100 from every member of the Celtics’ traveling party on a road trip and stashed the money in the ceiling of the visitors locker room at the Lakers’ home arena. (Rivers’ legendary motivational tactic actually took place after a February regular-season game against the Lakers in 2010, and the Celtics returned to collect that money in the NBA Finals).
He also thought it was possible that the time Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson’s Lakers came out in retro short shorts against Rivers’ Celtics could’ve happened on Christmas. (It was on Dec. 30, 2007, close enough to blend into Christmas). The Celtics and Lakers did play each other on the holiday in 2008.
What Rivers does remember in exact detail is the “love-hate” nature of playing on the holiday.
“I’ve had a lot of Christmas games,” Rivers explained to ESPN. "It’s different. I love it and hate it at the same time because having time with your family, it’s so important.
“But also, there’s nothing better. It’s the most favorite game to win. On a Christmas afternoon, when you finish that game and you win – you come home with your family. It’s just an amazing day. I’ve had some great ones.”
The 10 teams that play on the marquee holiday stage must fit their Christmas Day family traditions around their game-day routine at home or sacrifice opening gifts with loved ones on Christmas if they are on the road.
That is why when the Golden State Warriors – who will be playing for a 13th consecutive time on Christmas against the Dallas Mavericks at Chase Center – are on the road Dec. 25, they will have family members fly and join them on the trip. While LeBron and Bronny James have the opportunity to play together on Christmas again, the Lakers’ father-son duo still has to schedule the James family’s festivities around their matchup.
The NBA tries to make working on the holiday feel as celebratory as possible by giving the coaches and players a present, like a nice leather wallet, a bag or an electronic gift.
“You wake up in Room 736 and you forget that it’s Christmas,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told ESPN of what it’s like to play a road game on Christmas. "And you look at your text from Eric Hausen [Warriors vice president of team operations] saying, ‘Merry Christmas.’ And you’re like, ‘Oh yeah, it’s Christmas.’ You go down for your meeting in the third-floor ballroom, and everybody says ‘Merry Christmas’ and you do the scouting report and it’s just bizarre.
“You go to the arena, there’s always a gift from [NBA commissioner] Adam Silver, which is nice. And then you play and everybody in the arena is festive because they’re coming from their Christmas morning and you’re thinking about your own family and wishing you were at home. But that’s the deal. That’s what we sign up for.”
Players and coaches who have games on Christmas agree with Kerr and Rivers that it’s an honor. But playing on the holiday, especially on the road, can also leave some feeling like the Grinch.
“We do a huge dinner if it’s an afternoon game,” Rivers said. “If it’s the last game of the day, it’s just a s—ty day. As far as you spend time waiting around during the day at home and then you go to the game.”
As this Christmas approaches, stars and coaches share with ESPN their Christmas tales, yuletide feelings and even gripes about playing on Santa’s day.
Jump to a tale:
A James Family Christmas
The Kerr Nightmare (on) Christmas
A Green Christmas Miracle
All I want for Christmas is a PJ
Mitchell’s Holiday Special
BRONNY JAMES, 21, doesn’t remember a time when he didn’t watch his father play on Christmas. Like Bronny, an entire generation has grown up watching LeBron James play a record 19 times on Dec. 25 since his 2003 debut season, including the past 18 Christmas Days.
That also means the James family has shared their patriarch with the world every holiday.
“You just tried to hope that game was home so we could have him home for Christmas,” Bronny told ESPN. “But we always go home to our house and open presents in the morning. If he’s not there, then we’ll wait or do it the day before. So, it’s always been kind of like a coin flip. But we try to make it happen [on Christmas Day] as much as possible.”
Last Christmas was historic: The father-son duo became the first to be teammates for a game on the holiday. While Bronny did not play, he watched Dad outshine Stephen Curry at Golden State with 31 points, 10 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 block.
“I’d much rather be at home with my family,” LeBron said Saturday. “But it’s the game. It’s the game I love. It’s the game I watched when I was a kid on Christmas Day, watching a lot of the greatest to play the game. It’s always been an honor to play it. Obviously, I’m going to be completely honest, I would like to be home on the couch with my family all throughout the day. But my number is called, our numbers are called, so we have to go out and perform. And I look forward to it.”
No matter what day the James family celebrates Christmas every year, Zhuri, the youngest daughter, always gets the festivities started.
“Zhuri will be up at 6 in the morning and already downstairs waiting for us,” Bronny said. “We’ll come down like an hour later, and she’ll be mad that we’re so late. Just sitting there staring at the presents.”
LeBron has the most points (507), second-most assists (137) and sixth-most rebounds (143) on Christmas Day, but it has come at the price of having to fit the family’s Christmas celebration around the games.
“I never really was bummed out [too much],” Bronny said. "I mean, I was, kind of, but I knew why. So it wasn’t really a problem for me, and we always found a way to celebrate it somehow when he was back. But of course, every family wants to be together on Christmas. It was difficult sometimes. Especially for my mom [Savannah], just having to plan something else.
“… My siblings and my mom are always together on Christmas. But just having to plan something else to where we can all be together at the same time. It’s just something extra that a lot of people don’t got to deal with that. So it was definitely a little stressful on the whole family, but we made it happen.”
Whenever LeBron, 40, decides to retire and end his Christmas streak, perhaps Bronny will have to go through what his father has had to do almost every Christmas of his playing career.
“Time is about to come where I might be the one away and these guys are going to be home [without me],” Bronny said. “So, it’s something that we got to figure out.”
OVER THREE DECADES later, one of the best finishes to a New York Knicks-Chicago Bulls game is still a Christmas nightmare for Kerr.
With 3.3 seconds left on the clock and the Bulls clinging to a 100-97 lead in Chicago on Dec. 25, 1994, Anthony Mason sent his full-court inbounds heave sailing straight to Kerr, who was to the right of the basket. The then-Bulls shooter jumped to catch the basketball but was worried he was going to fall and be called for a travel.
So he tried tapping the ball to a teammate.
“I threw it right to [Knicks guard] Hubert Davis,” Kerr told ESPN, still disgusted with himself all these decades later. "And he made a 3 to send it to overtime. It was the biggest mistake I’ve ever made. It was a huge gaffe. It was just dumb.
“One of the biggest nightmares of my career.”
Fortunately for Kerr, Scottie Pippen saved him with one of the best Christmas performances. Pippen scored all seven of Chicago’s points in overtime and had two game-clinching blocks at the end to hold off the Knicks 107-104. Pippen, who had 36 points, 16 rebounds and 5 steals while playing all 53 minutes, hugged an almost apologetic Kerr after the game.
Michael Jordan, who would come out of retirement later that season, might not have been as forgiving.
“I would’ve been the goat,” said Kerr, who played in five Christmas games. "Not the good GOAT. The bad goat. It worked out, but it was humiliating. It was just the dumbest play. I still don’t quite know why I did it.
“The problem is now every Christmas Day when they start playing [vintage] games on NBA TV, they still show that. I’m like, f—, would you guys leave me alone?”
LIKE SO MANY, Curry’s Christmas tradition growing up was to spend the day watching basketball.
So when it was his turn to play on the Christmas stage, Curry understood the moment.
“It’s a blessing because you understand being one of the 10 teams that play means you’re marketable,” Curry told ESPN. “The experience of playing in the game is fun. … Before the in-season tournament, that was the NBA’s biggest moment before the turn of the calendar year. Definitely felt like a different energy around it.”
This Christmas will mark the Warriors’ 13th consecutive year playing on the holiday, with Curry playing in all but three of them over that span. But until recently, Curry couldn’t find his shot on Christmas. In his first eight Christmas games, Curry shot a combined 35-for-116 (30.2%), including just 10-for-49 (20.4%) from 3. His first two Christmas outings saw him miss 23 of 27 shots.
“I don’t have a favorite,” Curry said when asked about his favorite memory of playing on the holiday. “I have traditionally not played great on Christmas Day, so bringing up great memories.”
One of Draymond Green’s favorite Christmas memories came during his indefinite suspension for striking Jusuf Nurkic in 2023. Green was frustrated, contemplated retirement and had to rediscover his drive for basketball.
But during that 12-game suspension, Green got to spend a truly merry Christmas at home with his kids and family – something he said was good for his soul at the time.
“That was great. It was actually f—ing amazing,” Green told ESPN. “Usually it’s weird because Christmas Day is not like what you remember as a kid, where you spend with your family. We’ve been on the road [five times, once when Green was suspended]. I know my 5-year-old’s first Christmas, I was gone.”
Instead of being with his team in Denver that Christmas in 2023, Green got to open gifts with his kids at home. The only other time he did not suit up when the Warriors played on Christmas came in 2020 when a foot injury kept him on the bench in street clothes in Milwaukee.
Green said that when he has to play on Christmas, he sometimes will “scratch the itch” and let his kids unwrap a gift before fully celebrating once he is home after the game. But even though Green is just one of 10 players to record a Christmas Day triple-double, playing on the holiday can often make him feel as miserable as Scrooge.
“As an NBA player, you want to be on that stage – marquee games and everybody’s watching,” Green said. "But as a human, it f—ing sucks, if I’m honest.
“… I absolutely loved as a kid watching NBA games on Christmas Day. Kobe Bryant and the white [Lakers] jerseys. I loved [Shaquille O’Neal]. … But the NFL has started having games on Christmas Day, so maybe they take Christmas over and we go home.”
WAKING UP EARLY for a noon tipoff on a regular-season weekend game can be the worst for many NBA players. For Josh Hart, the Knicks’ traditional early start is the perfect time to play on Christmas, especially now that he has two boys who are 2½ years old.
“Now Christmas is magical,” Hart told ESPN. “The best Christmas game is the 12 o’clock because you get the morning obviously consumed about the game, basketball and stuff like that. I love it. You wake up, get some breakfast, head to the Garden, get your work, hopefully get a win, and then you get to celebrate Christmas.”
This will be Hart’s seventh Christmas game. He has played in the holiday game as a Laker, Pelican and now Knickerbocker.
His most memorable Christmas game was with the Lakers when they knocked off the Warriors 127-101 in 2018. It was James’ first Christmas game with L.A., but the star sustained a groin injury in the win. Rajon Rondo stepped in with 15 points, 10 assists and 5 rebounds off the bench.
“We beat that Warriors team with Steph, Klay [Thompson], [Kevin Durant], Draymond,” Hart said. “LeBron got hurt. Rondo turned into Playoff Rondo and kind of led us to that win. He unfortunately broke his [finger]. I gave him an '09 bottle of Harlan [Estate wine] that he opened on the plane. That kind of really got me into wine.”
The following year had Hart saying “Bah humbug.” After being traded from the Lakers to New Orleans, Hart, Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram had the Pelicans on the Christmas stage, but they were the final game of the night against the Denver Nuggets. While the Pelicans won 112-100, they remained in Denver after the game. The Pelicans, like many road teams, opted not to fly until the next day to get some rest rather than arrive home at 3 in the morning.
While the team did fly family members to Denver and had a Christmas party at the hotel the night before the game, Hart said all he and some Pelicans players wanted for Christmas was a private jet to fly them back home to New Orleans after the game.
“The 8:30 [p.m.] game in Denver, it was the worst game,” said Hart, who is 4-2 on Christmas. “We were thinking, how could we get back? We were going to ‘PJ’ after the game to get back home. But the team stayed the night. So yeah, it was by far the worst game of the season.”
IT HAS BEEN four years since Donovan Mitchell last played on Christmas Day.
He scored 33 points and outdueled Jalen Brunson, who had 27 points, in the Utah Jazz’s 120-116 Christmas win over the Mavericks in 2021.
This Christmas, they will go at it again when Mitchell’s Cleveland Cavaliers visit Brunson’s New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
“Man, I love playing on Christmas,” Mitchell told ESPN, barely able to contain his enthusiasm. "It means you are doing something right as a team, right?
“I remember being at my grandmother’s, getting up at 12 and being up until 12, watching basketball all day. So to be a part of that is truly special.”
Mitchell’s routine during his first two Christmas Day games with the Jazz was to keep everything as normal as possible. He prepared like it was a typical game day, and that meant celebrating Christmas either the day before or the day after, which he said is his mother’s birthday.
But with the Cavs-Knicks game tipping off as the first game of the day, Mitchell will get to celebrate and open gifts with his family afterward at his New York area home.
Mitchell, who grew up in the New York and Connecticut area, will be living out a Christmas dream playing at the Garden.
“Just something that I never take for granted,” Mitchell said. "Because not everybody can say they played on Christmas Day, let alone playing Madison Square Garden like we are.
“It’s going to be special.”
ESPN’s Jamal Collier and Dave McMenamin contributed to this story.
By Ohm Youngmisuk | ESPN, via ESPN