Top 5 NBA Christmas Day Individual Performances

The NBA Christmas Day games have been as much a part of the holiday season as gift-giving and overeating. While there have been some great team efforts and memorable games, there has also been a fair share of spectacular individual performances that rank among the best in NBA history, regardless of what the calendar says.

Christmas Day 2025 was bookended with two great games capped off by Denver’s 142–138 overtime victory over Minnesota. While Anthony Edwards dropped a 44-point effort, Nikola Jokic delivered what might be the greatest Christmas performance ever. Against the Timberwolves, the Joker put up 56 points, 16 rebounds, and 15 assists, recording the first 55-15-15 game in NBA history. What's even more insane? He scored 18 points in overtime alone, also an NBA record. 

Before the three-point era changed everything, Bernard King put up a Christmas Day record of 60 points against the New Jersey Nets. King was unconscious, hitting mid-range jumpers with defenders draped all over him. Unfortunately, the Hall-of-Fame forward did not have much help that day as the New York Knicks lost 120–114. But King's performance remains a gold standard for Christmas Day scoring.

When his second-best teammate was Lamar Odom, who could blame Kobe Bryant for putting up 30 shots in a game? The LA Lakers and Miami Heat faced off in a marquee matchup, with Shaquille O’Neal making his much-anticipated return to Hollywood after the messy divorce from the Lakers and the breakup of one of the most dynamic duos in NBA history. Bryant dropped 42 with that signature mix of fadeaways, footwork, and pure killer instinct, looking to prove that he could carry the team without the Big Diesel. While it was an impressive individual performance, Bryant’s Superman-like effort fell short, 104–102.

OKC Thunder forward Kevin Durant dropped 44 points on 14-of-20 shooting against the Denver Nuggets in what might be the purest scoring exhibition on this list. KD was in that zone, leading the Thunder to a 114–106 victory, where every shot looked the same, whether it was a pull-up three, a mid-range jumper, or a drive to the rim. He added seven rebounds and four assists while making it look like a casual shootaround. At just 22 years old, Durant was announcing his arrival as an elite scorer who could take over any game, any stage, any time.

One year prior, Tracy McGrady notched 46 points against the Detroit Pistons, and two years before that, he dropped 43 on the Indiana Pacers. But it would be T-Mac's third Christmas Day game that was his best, putting up 41 points, 11 assists, and eight rebounds to lead the Magic past an 18-year-old LeBron James and the Cavs in overtime. McGrady hit 15 of 29 from the field and 5 of 9 from three, showcasing the complete offensive arsenal that made him one of the most unstoppable players of his era. James held his own with 34 points, but McGrady's veteran savvy took over when it mattered most, leading the Magic to a 113–101 overtime victory.