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6 Best Christmas Performers in NBA History

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Christmas is one of the best days of the year for an NBA fan. Not only are there games on national television, but we get to see some of the league's best players and teams (and for some reason, the Lakers.) With Christmas right around the corner, I thought I'd take a look at some of the best players who made Christmas their day. With that in mind, here are the 6 best Christmas performers in NBA history.

Oscar Robertson

Few were as good as Oscar Robertson was during the 60s in the NBA. The 1963-64 season's MVP was the first player to ever average a triple-double for a while season and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1980. On Christmas, Robertson had no trouble playing like the Hall of Famer he was. In his nine Christmas Day games, Robertson averaged 30 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game while shooting 46% from the field and 93% from the free throw line. Robertson had three separate occasions where he scored 38 points on Christmas Day and shot perfect from the field in two of those games.

Scottie Pippen

While he might always be remembered as the Robin to Michael Jordan's Batman, Scottie Pippen was still a fantastic player throughout his career. The Hall of Famer played a huge part in the Chicago Bulls' six championship victories while also earning himself seven All-Star selections. On Christmas, he was one of the absolute best. Pippen played in seven Christmas Day games during his career and averaged 22.9 points, 8.9 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 3.4 steals, and 1.6 blocks per game while shooting 47% from the field and 39% from three-point range. Pippen's best Christmas game came in 1994 when the Bulls beat the New York Knicks in overtime behind Pippen's 36 points, 16 rebounds, 5 steals, and 2 blocks.

Patrick Ewing

While he was never able to grab an NBA Championship win during his 17-year career, Patrick Ewing's legacy has been cemented through his fantastic play. The former #1 overall pick created a reputation for himself as one of the best big men to play the game, earing 11 All-Star selections during his career and a Hall of Fame induction in 2008. On Christmas Day, few were as good as Ewing was. In the six games he played on Christmas Day during his career, Ewing averaged 24.7 points, 12.3 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.8 blocks per game while shooting 49% from the field. Ewing's best Christmas performance came in 1985 when Ewing's Knicks beat the Boston Celtics in double overtime, with Ewing putting up 32 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 steals.

LeBron James

While the debate heats up about where he stands among the best players of all time, it's pretty clear that LeBron James is arguably the best player in the NBA today and among the top five players of all time. James is only 32-years old right now, but he has already created a legacy that is hard to match, as he is a four-time MVP, 13-time All-Star, and a 3-time NBA Champion. And on Christmas, the King made it a day to celebrate for his teams and his fans, as he tore it up every time he stepped on the court on December 25th. In the 11 games James has played on Christmas so far, he has averaged 27.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, 6.9 assists, and 1.7 steals while shooting 51% from the field and 32% from three-point range. LeBron's best Christmas Day game came in 2011, when James and the Miami Heat beat the Dallas Mavericks behind his 37 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.

Michael Jordan

The G.O.A.T took no days off. Christmas was no exception. The undisputed greatest player to ever play the game, Michael Jordan was unstoppable, a trait backed up by his five MVP awards, 14 All-Star selections, 6 NBA Championship wins, 6 Finals MVP awards, and finally, his induction into the Hall of Fame in 2009. And as I said, Jordan did not give anything less than 100% on Christmas Day. In Jordan's six Christmas games, he averaged 28.3 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2.8 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 44% from the field. Jordan's best game on Christmas came in 1992 when the Bulls beat the Knicks behind Jordan's 42 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals.

Kevin Durant

Whether you see him as a smart player who saw an opportunity and took it or as a snake who took the easy route to an NBA Championship, few can deny that Kevin Durant is one of the best players in the NBA today. At 29-years old, Durant has already racked up a career's worth of accomplishments, including four scoring titles, eight All-Star selections, an MVP award and a NBA Championship title to boot. On Christmas, however, Durant has become one of the best performers of all-time. In the seven games Durant has played on Christmas Day so far, Durant averaged 32 points, 8 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 54% from the field and 41% from three-point range.  In 2010, Durant had one of the best Christmas Day performances of all-time when he led the Oklahoma City Thunder to a win over the Denver Nuggets, putting up 44 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks to get the win.
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