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Monochrome, first names, sleeves: Ranking the NBA's short-lived Christmas jersey tradition

For nearly a decade, special jerseys were a part of NBA Christmas games.

Ayrton Ostly   Paste BN

Since 1947, the NBA's played games on Christmas Day with one exception during the 1998-99 lockout season. The first NBA Christmas game featured the New York Knicks taking on the Providence Steamrollers and coming away with a 89-75 win at the old Madison Square Garden.

In the decades since, iconic NBA players have put up incredible games on Christmas. Hall of Fame Knicks forward Bernard King put up 60 points on Christmas in 1984; Tracy McGrady dropped 41 points, 11 assists, and eight rebounds in a win for the Orlando Magic in 2003; LeBron James led a Cleveland Cavaliers comeback from 14 points down in the fourth quarter to beat the defending champion Golden State Warriors in 2016.

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The 2016 Christmas slate was the last time NBA teams wore special jerseys for Christmas games, a short-lived tradition that fans and players alike have missed in years since.

The best NBA Christmas jerseys, ranked

NBA teams wore special jerseys on Christmas from 2008 through 2016. There were five different styles used across that time period.

1. Christmas cards

The best design was the last design of the tradition. Adidas changed things up in 2015, using a design similar to the monochrome style from prior years. The jerseys were a solid color with team names written in cursive on the front and holiday-style numbers on the front and back. The Christmas card-style jerseys returned in 2016, the final year of the special uniforms.

2. Monochrome colors

The NBA really leaned into a special jersey for the first time on Christmas 2012, with monochromatic jerseys in teams' primary colors. That year's Christmas schedule included an NBA Finals rematch between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Miami Heat.

3. First names

Adidas dropped the monochrome design for 2014. Instead, the teams' logo was on the front, the player's number was on the front and back, and the player's first name was on the back. The company stated the first name was used to recognize players' familiarity and popularity of their first name, like Carmelo Anthony and James.

4. Big logos and sleeves

In 2013, the league kept with the monochrome idea from 2012 but featured a centered logo on the front. Stylistically, this jersey looks good, but it included sleeves. That was was one of the biggest sticking points from players that season, including Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki.

5. Snowflake logos

The first style from 2008 through 2011 Christmas games included a snowflake around the NBA logo on jerseys. The NBA also scheduled teams with red and green colors for the games, like the Heat, Chicago Bulls, Boston Celtics, and Knicks. This gets the fifth-place spot because it wasn't much different from jerseys used during the regular season.

Why were NBA Christmas jerseys discontinued?

Ahead of the 2015-16 NBA season the league announced it signed an apparel deal with Nike. That eight-year deal kicked in for the 2017-18 season and ended the NBA's relationship with Adidas. The Christmas jersey tradition ended without Adidas.

Nike's offered many alternate jerseys over the years, including the City Edition uniforms.

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What jersey styles are NBA teams using this season?

This season, all NBA teams have four jersey editions:

  • Association (conventional "home" white jersey)
  • Icon (conventional "road" jersey featuring a primary color)
  • Statement (another jersey typically using a primary color and, in some cases, a throwback logo or color combination)
  • City (jersey typically referencing something about the city or a prior jersey from the franchise's history. Used during the NBA In-Season tournament).

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What's the NBA Christmas schedule for 2023?

There are five NBA games scheduled for Christmas this year. Here's the schedule (all tip-off times are ET):

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