In addition to the regular season and playoffs, the NBA tracks Christmas Day records.
It makes sense considering Christmas has long been one of the biggest days on the NBA calendar. The league started playing games on Christmas Day in 1947. The 2023-24 season will mark the 76th edition of the NBA on Christmas Day.
With that in mind, which legend has scored the most points on the holiday? Has Stephen Curry made the most 3-pointers? Who has played the most games? And where does LeBron James rank in each category?
The Sporting News has you covered below with the single game and all-time leaders heading into the Christmas Day 2023 games.
NBA Christmas Day single game records
All stats are from the NBA Christmas Day 2023 Media Guide unless otherwise noted.
Most points in single game
Bernard King remains the only player who has ever scored 60 points on Christmas Day.
| Rank | Player | Points | Year |
| 1. | Bernard King | 60 | 1984 |
| 2. | Wilt Chamberlain | 59 | 1961 |
| 3. | Rick Barry | 50 | 1966 |
| 4. | Jerry West | 47 | 1963 |
| 5. | Tracy McGrady | 46 | 2002 |
Most assists in single game
Tiny Archibald and Guy Rodgers share the record for most assists in a Christmas Day game with 18.
| Rank | Player | Assists | Year |
| 1. | Tiny Archibald | 18 | 1972 |
| Guy Rodgers | 18 | 1966 | |
| 3. | Oscar Robertson | 17 | 1961 |
| 4. | Chris Paul | 16 | 2022 |
| Tiny Archibald | 16 | 1975 | |
| Oscar Robertson | 16 | 1965 | |
| Oscar Robertson | 16 | 1963 | |
| Oscar Robertson | 16 | 1960 |
Most rebounds in single game
Wilt Chamberlain's 36 rebounds are the most ever in a Christmas Day game.
| Rank | Player | Rebounds | Year |
| 1. | Wilt Chamberlain | 36 | 1961 |
| 2. | Bill Russell | 34 | 1965 |
| Wilt Chamberlain | 34 | 1959 | |
| 4. | Bill Russell | 33 | 1958 |
| 5. | Bill Russell | 31 | 1964 |
Most steals in single game
A number of players have finished with six steals on Christmas Day, but Kyrie Irving is the only player in NBA history to record seven on the holiday.
| Rank | Player | Steals | Year |
| 1. | Kyrie Irving | 7 | 2016 |
| 2. | Jrue Holiday | 6 | 2019 |
| Russell Westbrook | 6 | 2015 | |
| Derrick Rose | 6 | 2010 | |
| Doug Christie | 6 | 2002 | |
| Michael Jordan | 6 | 1986 | |
| Micheal Ray Richardson | 6 | 1979 | |
| Paul Westphal | 6 | 1975 | |
| Kevin Porter | 6 | 1974 |
Most blocks in single game
In 2018, Rudy Gobert came close to DeAndre Jordan's Christmas Day record of eight blocks (via Stathead).
| Rank | Player | Blocks | Year |
| 1. | DeAndre Jordan | 8 | 2011 |
| 2. | Rudy Gobert | 7 | 2018 |
| Elvin Hayes | 7 | 1980 | |
| 4. | Tim Duncan | 6 | 2013 |
| DeAndre Jordan | 6 | 2013 | |
| Tyson Chandler | 6 | 2011 | |
| Amar'e Stoudemire | 6 | 2010 | |
| Larry Smith | 6 | 1980 | |
| Terry Tyler | 6 | 1979 |
Most turnovers in single game
The most turnovers committed on Christmas Day is nine by Kobe Bryant (via Stathead).
| Rank | Player | Turnovers | Year |
| 1. | Kobe Bryant | 9 | 2004 |
| 2. | Kobe Bryant | 8 | 2007 |
| Kobe Bryant | 8 | 2011 | |
| Michael Cooper | 8 | 1983 | |
| LeBron James | 8 | 2003 | |
| Micheal Ray Richardson | 8 | 1981 | |
| Rajon Rondo | 8 | 2009 |
Most 3-pointers made in single game
Expecting to see Stephen Curry here? The greatest shooter of all time has never made more than five 3-pointers in a game on Christmas Day. Patty Mills holds the record with eight.
| Rank | Player | 3-pointers | Year |
| 1. | Patty Mills | 8 | 2021 |
| 2. | Landry Shamet | 7 | 2022 |
| Kyrie Irving | 7 | 2020 | |
| Duncan Robinson | 7 | 2020 | |
| Brandon Ingram | 7 | 2019 | |
| 5. | Tim Hardaway Jr. | 6 | 2022 |
| Julius Randle | 6 | 2021 | |
| Khris Middleton | 6 | 2020 | |
| James Harden | 6 | 2019 | |
| Kyle Kuzma | 6 | 2017 | |
| Kevin Love | 6 | 2017 | |
| Ryan Anderson | 6 | 2011 |
NBA Christmas Day all-time records
All stats are from the NBA Christmas Day 2023 Media Guide unless otherwise noted.
Most total games played
In 2022, LeBron James surpassed Kobe Bryant for the most games played on Christmas Day.
| Rank | Player | Games |
| 1. | LeBron James | 17 |
| 2. | Kobe Bryant | 16 |
| 3. | Earl Monroe | 13 |
| Shaquille O'Neal | 13 | |
| Dolph Schayes | 13 | |
| Dwyane Wade | 13 |
Most total points
LeBron James surpassed Kobe Bryant as the NBA's all-time scorer on Christmas Day in 2021.
| Rank | Player | Points |
| 1. | LeBron James | 460 |
| 2. | Kobe Bryant | 395 |
| 3. | Oscar Robertson | 377 |
| 4. | Dwyane Wade | 314 |
| 5. | Kevin Durant | 299 |
Most total assists
LeBron James is the closest to Oscar Robertson's record for total assists on Christmas Day.
| Rank | Player | Assists |
| 1. | Oscar Robertson | 144 |
| 2. | LeBron James | 119 |
| 3. | Russell Westbrook | 97 |
| 4. | Kobe Bryant | 85 |
| 5. | James Harden | 81 |
Most total rebounds
While Wilt Chamberlain owns the record for most rebounds recorded in a single game on Christmas Day, Bill Russell has the legend beat when it comes to total rebounds.
| Rank | Player | Rebounds |
| 1. | Bill Russell | 176 |
| 2. | Wes Unseld | 163 |
| 3. | Shaquille O'Neal | 155 |
| 4. | Wilt Chamberlain | 152 |
| 5. | Dolph Schayes | 144 |
Most total steals
Former teammates Russell Westbrook and LeBron James lead the way in total steals on Christmas Day.
| Rank | Player | Steals |
| 1. | Russell Westbrook | 29 |
| 2. | LeBron James | 26 |
| 3. | Scottie Pippen | 24 |
| 4. | Dwyane Wade | 23 |
| 5. | Kobe Bryant | 17 |
| Michael Jordan | 17 | |
| Micheal Ray Richardson | 17 |
Most total blocks
Nobody has blocked more shots on Christmas Day than Shaquille O'Neal.
| Rank | Player | Blocks |
| 1. | Shaquille O'Neal | 25 |
| 2. | Elvin Hayes | 22 |
| 3. | DeAndre Jordan | 21 |
| 4. | Dwight Howard | 19 |
| 5. | Amar'e Stoudemire | 16 |
Most total turnovers
LeBron James isn't far behind Kobe Bryant for the most total turnovers on Christmas Day. (Via Stathead).
| Rank | Player | Turnovers |
| 1. | Kobe Bryant | 65 |
| 2. | LeBron James | 60 |
| 3. | Russell Westbrook | 47 |
| 4. | Dwyane Wade | 39 |
| 5. | Shaquille O'Neal | 32 |
Most total 3-pointers made
In 2022, James Harden drained five 3s to overtake LeBron James for first place all-time on Christmas. With Harden's Clippers idle this Christmas, James could retake first place with four triples.
| Rank | Player | 3-pointers |
| 1. | James Harden | 31 |
| 2. | LeBron James | 28 |
| 3. | Kevin Durant | 25 |
| 4. | J.J. Redick | 24 |
| 5. | Klay Thompson | 20 |
