Los Angeles Lakers: 10 greatest Christmas Day moments, performances

The Los Angeles Lakers are a staple on Christmas Day. We take a trip down memory lane and pick out the 10 greatest Christmas Day moments and performances by the Lakers.

The NBA on Christmas Day has become a tradition, and the Los Angeles Lakers have taken part almost as much as any other team in the NBA.

In their franchise history, between Minneapolis and Los Angeles, the Lakers have played on Christmas Day 43 times. That is second only to the New York Knicks, who have played 52 times on Christmas. The Lakers have gone 21-22 on Christmas Day, giving them the second most wins ever, behind only the Knicks, again, who are 22-30.

The Lakers are tied with the Detroit Pistons for the most Christmas Day losses at 22. The Knicks, once again, lead the way with their 30.

Neither the Lakers nor Knicks are close to having the highest winning percentage on Christmas Day. That title goes to the Miami Heat, who are 10-2 with a .833 winning percentage, on Christmas Day. The Charlotte Hornets and Memphis Grizzlies are the only two franchises to never play on Christmas Day.

The NBA has played on Christmas Day every year except the year of the league’s inception and 1998 when the season was delayed due to the lockout. They normally showcase their biggest and most popular teams and players, which is a reason that the Lakers are so frequently featured during the day’s slate of games.

There have been a number of great, memorable performances throughout the history of the NBA on Christmas. With so many games played, the Lakers have a number of memorable performances and moments of their own.

With so many to choose from, and statistics and video difficult to find of the early ones, we take a crack at pinpointing the best moments. These are the 10 best moments and performances for the Lakers while playing on Christmas Day.