Top 10 Greatest NBA Christmas Day Sneaker Moments

Christmas Day is one of the most important dates on the NBA calendar. With multiple games to enjoy all day long, it’s a great experience for hoops fans regardless whether their team is playing or not. Superstars like LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and the late Kobe Bryant are regular to the Christmas Day slate, but it’s also a place where rising stars get a chance to showcase their talents, and their sneakers, for the first time on a national stage.

Prior to the modern era of sneakers, we had the best of the best show out in whatever they happened to be wearing that night. Once players became increasingly aware and focused on their brands, more thought was put into what they rocked on the 25th. Throughout the 2010s, brands made the most of the additional exposure from being featured on Christmas by having their signature athletes wear holiday-themed sneakers. Non-signature players also get in on the fun by rocking player exclusives or gems that don’t often get featured. The specificity of these kicks often made them one-and-dones because they would look so out of place, but there are a handful that have become all-time classics that kids now wear all year round.

10. Nick Young Doubles Up with Custom Purple Air Jordan 11 and Air Jordan 20 Chutney (2013)

It’s like when Allen Iverson crossed over Michael Jordan, just a little less important in the grand scheme of things. People still talk about Swaggy P’s performance on Christmas Day 2013 as he held down a depleted Lakers squad that was without Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash (remember when he was a Laker?). Young’s versatile sneaker game was also on display that day as he wore a custom purple Air Jordan 11 and the rare Air Jordan 20 Chutney that the world is still awaiting a retro of. Does it matter that the Lakers lost that game? Not really, what matters are the Christmas memories and the sneakers we saw Swaggy P wear along the way.

9. Derrick Rose Shines in Season Debut Wearing the adidas D Rose 2 (2011)

Due to the lockout in 2011, the NBA season had to start a little later than usual, debuting on Christmas Day. Derrick Rose made the most of his opportunity to shine on that day in a marquee matchup against Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers. Rose would lead the Chicago Bulls to the victory including a game-winning floater over the outstretched arms of Pau Gasol. It was a great advertisement for the D Rose 2 in the black and red L-Train colorway, although Rose missed the chance to rock them with blue laces.

8. LeBron James Breaks Records in Nike LeBron 8 Watch The Throne PE (2021)

During the bleak time that was the post-bubble championship, pre-Luka era, the Los Angeles Lakers were on a four-game losing streak heading into their Christmas Day 2021 matchup against the Brooklyn Nets. Despite being without Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, the Nets built up a 23-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. LeBron would help spark a furious comeback that would ultimately come up short, but he did manage to break a few records along the way in his Nike LeBron 8 Watch The Throne PE, including most points on Christmas Day and most points scored on a single, surpassing a pair of Laker legends in Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and the late Kobe Bryant.

7. Tracy McGrady Defeats Rookie LeBron in the adidas T-Mac 3 (2003)

Nowadays, it’s disrespectful to say someone made the game look easy because it diminishes the hard work they put in. So we will not say that nobody made the game look so easy and effortless as prime Tracy McGrady. We’re also not saying that T-Mac’s performance against a rookie LeBron James on Christmas Day 2003 was like watching poetry in motion. As a matter of fact, we will not go on record and say that the throwback black pinstripe Orlando Magic uniform McGrady wore that day alongside his adidas T-Mac 3s are an iconic NBA fit that stands the test of time. We’re just gonna sit back and enjoy the highlights and the sneakers from that day, which also featured a rarely seen laser-etched Nike Zoom Generation player exclusive that I’m sure some fans would love to see get a retail release someday.

6. Kevin Durant shines in Nike KD 3 Christmas (2010)

In 2010, the world was just getting to know a young Kevin Durant. He might have had three Nike signature shoes by then, but people were still getting used to the idea that a nearly 7-foot guard could move and score like he did. The world got a taste of what KD was capable of on Christmas Day 2010 when he scored a then-season high 44 points (he would score 45 later that season en route to his first scoring title). The bright yellow Nike KD 3 stood out as a contrast to the more festive Nike LeBron 8 and Nike Kobe 6 that dropped that year and gave Durant a sneaker identity that was unique compared to the more experienced duo.

5. Bernard Kings Scores Career High 60 Points in Converse Pro Star Hi (1984)

An overlooked New York Knicks legend, Bernard King held it down for the Knicks in the pre-Patrick Ewing days. One of the most dynamic scorers in league history, King was a multiple-time All-Star who also made All-NBA Teams during the first half of the 1980s. He would leave his mark on Christmas Day 1984 with a record 60-point performance that still stands to this day. King was also a Converse athlete who appeared in commercials and posters during his time with the Knicks, rocking the company’s flagship models at the time, like the Pro Star Hi with which he dropped the 60 piece in. What could the Converse do for King? Well, he could do just about everything. And for a short period of time, he could. Kings have a tendency to do that.

4. Kobe Bryant Debuts the Nike Kobe 6 Grinch in Loss to the Heat (2010)

If this was a ranking of the greatest Christmas Day sneakers of all-time, the Kobe 6 Grinch would top the list. There’s an argument to be made that the rise in popularity of the sneaker over the past few years has actually propelled them to the top of the list of greatest Kobe sneakers ever made. However, the reason why we are putting them at #4 is simple: Kobe’s performance on Christmas Day 2010 left a lot to be desired. In a much-hyped showdown against the recently formed Miami Heat Big 3 of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh, Kobe would score a mere 17 points on 6-16 shooting and the Lakers would lose by 16 points.

3. Michael Jordan Scores 42 Points Against the Knicks in the Air Jordan 7 Christmas Cardinal (1992)

Michael Jordan defeating the New York Knicks is nothing new. Scoring 40 points or more against New York was also no big deal as he did it exactly 20 times between the regular season and the playoffs. But his 42-point performance on Christmas Day 1992 was special because he not only tied Bulls legend the late Bob Love’s record for most points by a Bull on December 25, he avenged a previous Christmas loss against Patrick Ewing and the Knicks six years prior. If you don’t think MJ doesn’t think about those tiny little grievances, then you haven’t been paying attention. It would be literal decades before Nike and Jordan Brand started to make Christmas a sneaker holiday, so in some ways, the underrated Air Jordan 7 Cardinal is the closest we have to a Christmas Day colorway.

2. Kyrie Irving Hits Game-Winner in Nike Kyrie 3 Samurai (2016)

Hard as it is to believe, but there was actually a time when people enjoyed using the SNKRS app. Maybe it had to do with the exclusive access where only a select few could use the app via a special code or it was the novelty of surprise releases that were not yet tainted by opportunistic resellers. Christmas Day 2016 was an example of the app working as intended when the mysterious sneaker that would drop that day was the Nike Kyrie 3 Samurai. Featuring a blade-like Swoosh atop a blood red splatter with kanji lettering, the sneaker wasn’t really festive by any means but it set the stage for what was to come later that day. In a highly anticipated matchup between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors, Kyrie Irving would rock the sneaker and nail a game-winning shot on all-world defender Klay Thompson.

1. Kobe Bryant Misses Game-Winner in the Nike Kobe 7 Christmas (2011)

In the minds of fans of the late Kobe Bryant, there is nothing wrong with this play. Nevermind that there have been many instances of Kobe passing the ball out of a double or triple team and into the hands of a Robert Horry or a Derek Fisher to nail a dagger 3-pointer. The Mamba Mentality doesn’t mean ignoring your teammates in the face of a common sense play so you can play hero ball. It’s about setting a standard for them to follow so that when the time comes, the incoming pass is a result of him trusting that his teammates will deliver when it matters the most. Fans seem to ignore that and just focus on all the times Kobe made the shot. And he made a lot of those shots, but he also missed a lot of those shots. On Christmas Day 2011, he missed and the result is an epic image of Kobe in his Christmas Kobe 7s taking on four Chicago Bulls to try to win the game. Well, at least the sneakers were fire.

Juan Martinez

From video game journalism to veteran of the sneaker blog era to podcasting about well, everything, Juan is smiling through it all and can't believe this is his life. After recently getting into Formula 1, he now has hot takes about who the greatest driver of all time is. Email: juan@soleretriever.com