The Los Angeles Lakers are a global brand, one of the most recognizable teams in all of American sports and a viewership powerhouse for the NBA. Of late, that famous team has also featured one of the two most famous basketball players in existence: LeBron James. It is therefore no surprise that the Lakers are a common Christmas choice, and especially with The King on the roster.
Since their first appearance in 1961, the Lakers have played on Christmas 50 times. That number is second-highest among all NBA teams, behind only the New York Knicks. The Lakers' 24 wins is tied with the Knicks for most all-time and they've generally played better than New York on yuletide, losing only 26 contests to the Knicks' 32 losses.
L.A. has also been a very consistent staple of Christmas hoops over the last few generations. The Lakers have played on Christmas for 25 straight seasons, with 2024 marking their 26th consecutive holiday showing. They were even one of only two teams shown in 2006 when only one game was played on the 25th of December. Fans love watching the Lakers, and more importantly, the NBA loves what putting the Lakers on during Christmas brings to the table.
Los Angeles Lakers' Record on Christmas Day
Below you'll find a full accounting of how the Lakers have performed on Christmas throughout the years. This includes the pre-Los Angeles years, when they were the Minneapolis Lakers from 1946-1960. If the franchise counts the championship banners from back then, we'll count their Christmas games.
Notable Lakers Christmas Day Performances
There are many to choose from, but the best performance out of a Lakers player has to be from the man himself, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Universally accepted as one of the greatest players of all time, Kareem dropped 35 points to go with 17 rebounds and nine assists back in 1977 to lead the Lakers over the Seattle SuperSonics.
Before his time, Elgin Baylor set the standard by scoring 40 points on Christmas 1961. He battled Oscar Robertson in a huge 141–127 win in the first holiday matchup for the Lakers after moving to Los Angeles. Baylor finished with seven rebounds to go along with his 40 points on 15-of-27 shooting.
Shortly thereafter, Jerry West went off. In the year 1963 West's Lakers battled the Knicks, another Christmas Day mainstay for the NBA, and the man who became known as The Logo put up 47 points to bring home the win. That point total stands as the fourth-highest scoring game on Christmas in NBA history.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Los Angeles Lakers Christmas Day History: Record, Statistics, & More.
