NBA Christmas Day games, ranked: LeBron James' return to Los Angeles leads list

The NBA announced its Christmas Day slate this morning, and sitting under the tree are some big names in new places like LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo and LaMelo Ball. We’ve also got a rematch of the NBA Finals with Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs heading back to New York to take on Jalen Brunson and the Knicks.

James is at the center of the biggest game of them all, as the Philadelphia 76ers are taking on his former team in the Los Angeles Lakers. It’ll be must-see TV as James and Luka Doncic square off after spending the last two seasons together.

With the NBA Christmas Day slate unveiled, let’s the rank the games we’re most excited to see.

at Golden State Warriors

Neither team appears to be a serious title contender in 2026-27, but at least Nikola Jokic and Stephen Curry play an aesthetically pleasing brand of basketball. A 10:30 p.m. ET tip-off is a tough ask on Christmas Day, too.

at Minnesota Timberwolves

A rematch of the 2025 Western Conference Finals, the Timberwolves will be eager to make a Christmas Day statement after losing that series in five games. The addition of LaMelo Ball will give Shai Gilgeous-Alexander a harder time defensively in addition to it being great TV alongside Anthony Edwards.

at Boston Celtics

These were the two main teams in the Giannis sweepstakes, and after the Celtics missed out, they hit the panic button and traded Jaylen Brown to the rival 76ers for a 36-year-old Paul George. A huge Giannis game in TD Garden would add salt to Boston’s wound, so the pressure is on Jayson Tatum and Co. to prevent that.

The Knicks dominated the Spurs in the NBA Finals. Victor Wembanyama will undoubtedly use that as fuel this offseason, and you know he’s relishing for another chance to flex his one-of-one skills in Madison Square Garden. New York, meanwhile, can make quite the statement by shutting Wemby down again.

The 76ers and Lakers have reoriented their rosters around James and Doncic, respectively, so it makes for a fascinating matchup between two stars who never quite broke through together in L.A. James will come into this one motivated to show the Lakers what they’re missing, and there’s few things an opposing team worries about more than a motivated LeBron James.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: NBA Christmas Day games, ranked: LeBron James’ return to Los Angeles leads list