Looking Back On The Best NBA Christmas Day Commercials

Maybe it’s just because Christmas feels a bit off this year, but 2020 feels like the perfect time to look back on some of the great NBA Christmas Day ads from years past. That’s just what NBA Twitter got to work doing on Friday morning to get into the Christmas spirit.

Let’s start back in 1992, when the NBA on Christmas was an even bigger deal, something that was appointment live viewing for anyone who called themselves a hoops fan. Riley’s Knicks versus Jordan’s Knicks, plus “Roundball Rock” with a little classic Marv Albert in there? Yes, please.

Then there’s these classics, brought back by the great social media team at Yahoo! Sports, which feature some of the biggest stars still in the NBA today combining forces (in some admittedly bad uniforms) to make Christmas music with the sound of their dribbles and jumpers. Even if there was some very good editing used here, it is far more fun to imagine that didn’t happen.

Finally, this one isn’t even from Christmas specifically, but from the debut of the NBA following the lockout back in 2011, which ended up putting the start of the season right around where it was this season, just before Christmas. This one just features some incredible video editing that lets our brains see in live action what it might look like for yesterday’s legends to match up against the stars of today.

The NBA on Christmas is a tradition nearly as old as the league itself, and settling in for a day of great basketball is a nice chance to look back at the legacy of the NBA and reminisce on all the great Christmas Day battles over the years.