-- Kobe Bryant to Make Record-Breaking 14th Appearance on Dec. 25 --
? Five NBA MVPs among 30 All-Stars to Take the Floor Christmas Day ?
The NBA on Christmas Day has become a tradition around the world. Here is a historical look at the NBA teams and players that have competed on Dec. 25 throughout the decades:
Kobe and Claus
14 - The Los Angeles Lakers? Kobe Bryant will make a record 14th appearance on Dec. 25, surpassing Dolph Schayes, Earl Monroe and former teammate and TNT analyst Shaquille O?Neal, who each played in 13 Christmas Day classics.
Santa?s Team: The Knicks on Christmas
47 - The New York Knicks will make their leading 47th Christmas Day appearance. New York helped tip off the tradition of the NBA on Christmas in 1947. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers will play for the 38th time on Dec. 25, while the Boston Celtics will make their 28th appearance.
1,719 Miles To Golden State
1,719 -After calling the Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks on ABC, ESPN game announcers Mike Breen and Jeff Van Gundy will travel 1,719 miles to Oakland to call the night cap of the five-game NBA Christmas Day marathon. The game will feature the Los Angeles Clippers against the Golden State Warriors, with their former ESPN colleague Mark Jackson making his head coaching debut.
A Christmas Day Tradition
? 1947 - First NBA games played (three games)
? 212 ? All-time number of games played.
? 5 ? Most nationally televised games on Christmas Day (2008, 2009, 2010. 2011).
NBA Players on Christmas Day
? 5 ? NBA MVPs playing on Christmas (Derrick Rose ? 2011; LeBron James ? 2008-09, 2009-10; Bryant ? 2007-08: Dirk Nowitzki ? 2006-07; Kevin Garnett ? 2003-04).
? 30 ? Number of NBA All-Stars making a return appearance on Christmas Day (Boston ? 5; Chicago ? 3; Dallas ? 4; Miami ? 4; L.A. Clippers ? 4; L.A. Lakers ? 3; New York ? 2; Oklahoma City ? 2; Orlando ? 2; Golden State ? 1).
? 377 ? Most Points By A Player: Oscar Robertson
? 321 ? Most Points By An Active Player: Kobe Bryant (2nd all-time)
o Other active scoring leaders: Dwyane Wade (157), LeBron James (130), Tracy McGrady (130)
? 60 points ? All-time highest single-game scoring performance: Bernard King (New York Knicks vs. New Jersey Nets, 1984).
NBA Teams on Christmas Day
? 21 ? Most wins by a team: New York Knicks (L.A. Lakers: 20).
? 82.3% ? Best winning percentage: Portland Trail Blazers (14-3).
NBA Around the Globe on Christmas
? 215 ? Games will air in 215 countries and territories in 46 languages.
? 15 ? Number international players on Christmas Day teams, representing 12 countries.
Christmas Day Presents
The following NBA legends have delivered some memorable Christmas Day performances:
? Pistol Pete: Atlanta Hawks rookie Peter Maravich scores 28 points in a losing effort against the Phoenix Suns, 127-115.
? Clyde: Recently-acquired Walt Frazier scores 24 points for his new team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, in a 111-105 win over the Buffalo Braves in 1977.
? Bernard: Bernard King sets the Knicks single-game scoring record and the NBA Christmas Day scoring mark in 1984 when he registers 60 against his former team, the New Jersey Nets, who take the game, 120-114.
? Patrick: In 1986, Patrick Ewing of the New York Knicks and Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls dueled throughout the game as Patrick hit a put-back jumper at the buzzer to give New York a one-point win over Chicago.
? Scottie: Chicago and New York meet again in 1994. The Knicks? Hubert Davis hits a remarkable three with less than a second remaining to force overtime, but Scottie Pippen leads the Bulls on both ends of the court and seals the game with two blocks on three-point attempts in the final seconds.
? Rasheed: The Portland Trail Blazers beat the Lakers 109-104 in 2000 behind a 33-point performance from Rasheed Wallace
? Shaq: In 2004, Shaq played his first game in Los Angeles after being traded to Miami, but Wade stole the show with a strong second half performance as the Heat won by two in overtime.
NBA ON CHRISTMAS DAY GAMES
Game Time Network Broadcast Team
Boston Celtics at New York Knicks 12 p.m. ET TNT Marv Albert, Steve Kerr,
Craig Sager
ESPN Radio Marc Kestecher, Jim Spanarkel
Miami Heat at Dallas Mavericks 2:30 p.m. ET ABC Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy,
Lisa Salters
Chicago Bulls at Los Angeles Lakers 5 p.m. ET ABC Mike Tirico, Hubie Brown
Heather Cox
ESPN Radio Jim Durham, Will Perdue
Orlando Magic at Oklahoma City Thunder 8 p.m. ET ESPN Dave Pasch, Doris Burke
Los Angeles Clippers at Golden State Warriors 10:30 p.m. ET ESPN Breen, Van Gundy,
Chris Mullin, Terry Gannon
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