NBA: Ranking the 12 best Christmas Day performances in history

8. Dwayne Wade (2006)

What was the NBA’s Christmas Day gift to its fans in 2006? Kobe versus D-Wade.

This was a showcase of arguably the league’s best shooting guards. “The Black Mamba” was held to 16 points, while Wade took full advantage. Wade turned in a 40-point, 11 assists, four rebounds, four steals, and four block performance. I’m sure he parked cars and sold popcorn to fans that night too!

Oh, and the Miami Heat beat the Lakers 101-85.

7. Michael Jordan (1992)

The Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks had become fierce rivals in the early 90s. The Bulls had bounced the Knicks from the playoffs in consecutive seasons which included an intense 7-game series during the 1992 Eastern Conference Semifinals.

The Knicks had retooled their roster in hopes of supplanting the Bulls in the Eastern Conference. Michael Jordan, as usual, led the Bulls in a game that was a defensive struggle, scoring 42 of the Bulls; 89 points. He contributed eight boards, five assists, and three steals to pace the Bulls to an 89-77 victory.