Sports

Who is the all-time NBA Christmas Day scoring leader? LeBron James overtakes Kobe Bryant in 2021



Save for the Finals and maybe All-Star Weekend, there isn’t a stage much bigger than NBA Christmas Day.

In the league’s storied history, the biggest stars have taken the floor numerous times on the holiday. Kobe Bryant’s record of 16 Christmas Day games will soon be matched by LeBron James, who is set to play on Christmas for the 16th time in his 19-year career.

Fittingly, Bryant and James are also the top two all-time scoring leaders in the history of NBA Christmas. As James continues to add to his tally, have a look at the top 10 all-time scoring leaders on Christmas Day, three of whom are still active.

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All-time Christmas Day scoring leaders 

Player PTS G
LeBron James 396 16
Kobe Bryant 395 16
Oscar Robertson 377 12
Dwyane Wade 314 13
Kevin Durant 299 10
Shaquille O’Neal 272 13
Russell Westbrook 241 10
Dolph Schayes 239 13
Walt Bellamy 237 9
Richie Guerin 232 9

Best Christmas Day scoring performances

LeBron is at the top of the all-time list but it’s a different King that falls atop the list of best single-game Christmas performances.

In one of the more legendary individual performances in the history of the game, Bernard King finished with 60 points in a loss to the Nets in 1984. Nine times out of 10, a list of scoring records includes Wilt Chamberlain, who scored 59 points in a loss to the Knicks in 1961.

As it stands, Rick Barry is the only player to score 50 points on Christmas in a win.

Player Points Year Matchup
Bernard King 60 1984 Knicks vs. Nets
Wilt Chamberlain 59 1961 Warriors vs. Knicks
Rick Barry 50 1966 Warriors vs. Royals
Jerry West 47 1963 Lakers vs. Knicks
Tracy McGrady 46 2002 Magic vs. Pistons
Wilt Chamberlain 45 1959 Warriors vs. Nationals
Tom Heinsohn 45 1961 Celtics vs. Nationals
Dominique Wilkins 45 1987 Hawks vs. 76ers
Kevin Durant 44 2010 Thunder vs. Nuggets
Jerry West 44 1965 Lakers vs. Pistons





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