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The NFL has made it clear in recent years that it’s coming to take over Christmas Day from the NBA, but basketball will have the superior slate entering this year’s holiday.
Nine of the 10 NBA teams playing on Christmas have a record of at least .500, including the top six teams in the highly competitive Western Conference. The only team with a losing record are the Mavericks, though they’ve won seven of their last 11 and 2025 No. 1 draft pick Cooper Flagg has recovered from a slow start.
The NBA’s brightest stars are all expected to be available on Christmas. That includes aging veterans like LeBron James, Steph Curry, and Kevin Durant; those in their prime like Luka Dončić, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Nikola Jokic; and the future faces of the league like Victor Wembanyama and Flagg.
On the other hand, the NFL’s three-game Christmas Day slate features just two winning teams, with only one currently in the playoffs (Broncos). Quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Jayden Daniels will not be available, both having been ruled out for the remainder of the season.
Here is the Christmas Day schedule (all times ET):
NFL
- 1 p.m. Cowboys vs. Commanders (Netflix)
- 4:30 p.m. Lions vs. Vikings (Netflix)
- 8:15 p.m. Broncos vs. Chiefs (Prime Video)
NBA
- 12 p.m. Cavaliers vs. Knicks (ABC, ESPN, ESPN2)
- 2:30 p.m. Spurs vs. Thunder (ABC, ESPN)
- 5:00 p.m. Mavericks vs. Warriors (ABC, ESPN)
- 8:00 p.m. Rockets vs. Lakers (ABC, ESPN)
- 10:30 p.m. Timberwolves vs. Nuggets (ABC, ESPN)
Despite the NBA’s stronger slate, don’t expect it to outdraw the mighty NFL in the ratings. The NFL still consistently draws at more than 10 million viewers per game, a figure the NBA only surpasses during the Finals.
A prime example is in 2022, when the second of the NFL’s first three-game Christmas slate was between the Rams and Broncos, both of whom were 4–10 entering the holiday. The game still drew 22.6 million viewers on CBS and Nickelodeon, more than any NBA game since the 2017 NBA Finals.
But the NBA’s strong slate should help curb the migration of viewers to the NFL and continue its robust ratings streak into 2026. Following a 2024–25 season—which was filled with criticism about declining ratings—the NBA has recovered in its first two months with new partners.
The league is averaging 1.81 million viewers across ESPN, NBC/Peacock, and Prime Video this year, its most since 2017 and up 27% compared to last year. The NBA also announced Monday more than 87 million people have watched NBA games in the U.S. this year, up 89% from the same point last season.
Last LeBron Christmas?
James has not confirmed whether this will be his last season, but his recent comments could be interpreted as hints that the end may be near. He said Sunday that he’d “much rather be at home with family” than playing in his 20th Christmas Day game.
“Obviously, I’m gonna be completely honest, I would like to be home on the couch with my family all throughout the day. But our number is called, so we have to go out and perform and I look forward to it,” James said.
Last Christmas, James, who turns 41 next week, famously defended the NBA on Christmas in its battle with the NFL.
“I love the NFL, but Christmas is our day,” James said after a Lakers win over the Warriors.
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