NBA Unwraps Star-Studded Christmas Lineup... Just in Time for Everyone to Watch the NFL Instead
NBA's holiday matchups are revealed, but NFL will steal the spotlight anyways
The NBA on Tuesday announced the premier portion of its 2025-26 schedule, including its signature Christmas Day lineup, which once upon a time had the league thinking it owned the calendar's biggest holiday – until the NFL decided to have a say.
NBA Announces Christmas Day Lineup
Yeah, yippie, NBA.
But let's cut to the key point: Despite the NBA's announcement being delivered with much fanfare and anticipation about Dec. 25, OutKick will spend part of Dec. 26 studying the overnight ratings of those basketball games and contrasting them to the NFL's three games it has scheduled on Christmas Day.
And there's about a 99.999999 percent chance everyone will be declaring that the NFL continues to own sports television on Christmas.
NFL Games Feature Playoff Caliber Teams
The NFL, by the way, announced its Christmas Day schedule in May and all six teams come into the season with championship hopes:
- Cowboys vs. Commanders: A team trying to avoid the drama of Terry McLaurin's contract hold-in during training camp facing a team seemingly basking in Micah Parsons' contract hold-in during training camp – and, indeed, apparently causing it.
- Lions vs. Vikings: When these two played in the 2024 season finale, the game decided the division winner. Both teams have similar designs this season, with all respect to the Green Bay Packers.
- Broncos vs. Chiefs: The Broncos are threatening to be very good. They made the playoffs last year and think they're good enough to challenge the Chiefs for the division title this year. We'll see.
And so will a majority of other people, because they're going to watch football over basketball.
Getty Images
NBA Wants To Feature Players
Poor NBA. It's not for a lack of trying.
That league is leaning into its star players to drive attention on Christmas. The NFL doesn't do this. It just schedules games and expects its enormous fan base to rally to their teams.
Anyway, the NBA is telling us that when the Knicks and Cavaliers tip off at Madison Square Garden at noon on Christmas Day, we're going to be really excited about Donovan Mitchell's return to New York to face the Knicks and Jalen Brunson.
The NBA is telling us to tune in and watch San Antonio's Victor Wembanyama visit the Oklahoma City Thunder and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Does the NBA know the Thunder are the defending champions?
And the NBA is aflutter about Cooper Flagg visiting Stephen Curry and then LeBron James and Luka Dončić hosting Kevin Durant.
All three NFL games on Christmas will be streamed live. All five NBA games will air on ESPN and ABC, not that it will help.