The NBA delivered a holiday spectacle, recording its most-watched Christmas Day in five years with an average of 5.25 million viewers per game across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, Disney+, and ESPN+, per Nielsen Fast Nationals. Viewership soared 84% compared to last year, marking a major milestone for the league.
The Los Angeles Lakers’ nail-biting 115-113 victory over the Golden State Warriors led the charge, drawing 7.76 million viewers and peaking at 8.32 million at 10:30 p.m. ET. This showdown between LeBron James and Stephen Curry became the most-watched NBA regular season and Christmas Day game in five years, with a staggering 499% increase in viewership compared to last year’s comparable window.
The New York Knicks kicked off the day with a thrilling 117-114 win over the San Antonio Spurs, attracting 4.91 million viewers—the most-watched Christmas opener in 13 years. Every game of the day saw significant viewership gains, including Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics (up 3%), Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Dallas Mavericks (up 6%), and Denver Nuggets vs. Phoenix Suns (up 161%).
The league also broke records with over 500 million video views on its social platforms and set a new high for NBA League Pass viewership. Season to date, NBA content has amassed 11 billion social and digital views, reinforcing its global dominance.
On Sunday night, Chris Paul solidified his legacy as one of the greatest point guards in NBA history by surpassing Jason Kidd (12,091) to claim the No. 2 spot on the all-time assists leaderboard. Paul’s milestone moment came during the San Antonio Spurs’ 121-116 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans, where his precise feed to rookie star Victor Wembanyama for a three-pointer marked his historic assist.
The game also marked Paul’s 600th career performance with 10 or more assists, a milestone previously achieved only by John Stockton, the league’s all-time assists leader with 15,806.
“I’m so grateful,” an emotional Paul told his teammates after the game. “To be away from my family — y’all became my family… I just love to hoop. I hope y’all get this opportunity to play as long as I have.”
Wembanyama, returning from a two-game absence due to back issues, led the Spurs with a standout performance, recording 25 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks.
Paul’s milestone was fittingly achieved against the Pelicans, the team where his legendary 20-year career began, further emphasizing his enduring impact on the game.
Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball finally returned to an NBA court this season. He missed two full seasons with a litany of leg injuries and surgeries. Ball has not yet been quite as dynamic as he was before the injuries. He also missed a month of action after an unrelated wrist injury kept him out of the lineup for 15 games. But, once he gets back into game shape, he will be a valuable contributor to an NBA team. Whether that’s in Chicago or on a contending roster looking for the piece that can make them a championship-winning team.
On Thursday, ESPN published an extensive piece detailing Lonzo Ball’s 1000-day road to recovery. For the first time, Ball spoke at length about the effect that playing in the Big Baller Brand sneakers had on his body. He compared the first version of the sneakers to “kickball shoes.” He only played in them twice during Summer League games. The second version of the shoe, which was manufactured by Skechers, were better. But Ball was still not a fan. His first major knee injury came in January 2018, when he wore the shoes as a rookie. “I think it’s a possibility for sure, to be honest with you,” Ball said when asked if the Big Baller Brand shoes contributed to his knee problems. “I wasn’t really getting hurt like that until I started wearing them.” The injuries and surgeries piled up until Ball opted for a cartilage replacement surgery, an unknown procedure in the athletics world. This meant that there would be no precedent to look to. It worked, and now Ball is back to doing what he loves.
NBA fans will recognize “Big Baller Brand” as the basketball apparel brand that the once-ubiquitous LaVar Ball started while his sons were still playing at the amateur level. BBB existed to compete with other major brands and to separate the Ball brothers from the rest of the NBA. The ZO2s, which launched concurrently with BBB itself, first hit the market with a staggering $500 price tag. Ball previously recalled the sneakers being so poorly made that he’d have to change into a new pair every quarter because of how easily they ripped.
In the new ESPN profile, Lonzo Ball also recalled wanting to sign with Adidas in high school. He decided to bet on the success of Big Baller Brand instead. Though the brand still exists, Ball plays his NBA games in Nikes now. However, he has not signed an exclusive contract anywhere. In 2020, his younger brother LaMelo inked a nine-figure deal to become the face of Puma’s re-entry into the basketball market (under the creative direction of Jay-Z). Hopefully, the rest of Lonzo’s NBA journey is without any significant injury.
LeBron James and Drake used to be very close. They were the biggest stars in sports and hip hop, respectively, and they understood the trials and tribulations with wearing the crown. The bond they shared has gone out the window in 2024, however. LeBron James, a Los Angeles Laker, has seemingly sold his Drake stock and gone all in on L.A. superstar Kendrick Lamar. Bron went to Lamar’s “Pop Out” concert on Juneteenth, and was seen dancing in the audience. On Friday, the Laker was seen rapping to one of Lamar’s new songs during warm ups.
LeBron James was filmed warming up before a Lakers game on November 29. Business as usual, except for the song blaring through the speakers. “TV Off,” the most viral song off Kendrick Lamar’s new album, GNX, was playing. Bron decided to subtly co-sign the song by rapping along to it while he was shooting. He sang the “Mustard!” chant that has blown up on social media. He also rapped Kendrick Lamar’s hook, which incorporates the title of the song. The instrumental takes over during the next part of the song, but Bron doesn’t miss a beat. He continues to dance while taking shots.
LeBron James loves to show how current he is with new releases. The NBA superstar trying and failing to rap the lyrics to new songs has been a meme long before Lamar’s “Mustard!” chant. The thing is, LeBron knows the words to “TV Off.” All throughout the beef, the legendary athlete has been plugged in to what Kendrick Lamar has been doing. He was filmed dancing to Lamar’s “Not Like Us” in a club, and he once again knew every word to the song. This detail, while seemingly small, is notable. Drake seems to have noticed, as the Toronto rapper unfollowed LeBron James on Instagram a few months back.
The most intriguing aspect of LeBron’s Kendrick Lamar fandom is probably the recent Apple ad he did. The Lakers superstar promoted a brand new beats pill with none other than Drake’s mentor, Lil Wayne. The same Wayne who felt slighted by the fact Kendrick Lamar was chosen to headline the Super Bowl Halftime Show over him. Lamar even referenced this resentment on the opening song of his new album. LeBron James’ allegiance shifted in a major way in 2024, and it looks as though he’s sticking with team K. Dot.
Cam’ron says he’s taking the blame for LaMello Ball getting hit with a $100,000 fine after making a homophobic remark during a recent postgame interview. While discussing his team’s defensive performance against the Milwaukee Bucks, Ball remarked: “Yeah, we loaded up — no homo — but that’s what we wanted.” Cam discussed the situation with Mase on their sports talk show, It Is What It Is, on Tuesday.
“I blame myself, I really do, man,” he said. “I blame the east side of Harlem. You got this in Jefferson Projects probably in 1996 when we were saying this. And before that — what the fuck? God damn, we did this a long time. To be honest with you, this is why we started saying ‘pause.’ We used to say what Melo said, but we were like, ‘The people are sensitive, you get fined.’ And that’s why we don’t say it anymore.”
LaMello Ball Goes Up For A Shot Against The Brooklyn Nets
Nov 19, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) takes a shot against Brooklyn Nets forwards Dorian Finney-Smith (28) and Cameron Johnson (2) during the first quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
From there, Mase joined in to agree with Cam. “Just for that? My goodness […] I mean, people gotta be responsible for their words but I think if you know these guys are playing, it should be taken a little bit lighter. It’s not like he said it towards anybody living a certain way. He was just joking,” he said.
Cam’ron & Mase Speak On LaMelo Ball’s Fine
Ball has already apologized for the comment. “Before we get started, I just want to address the comment yesterday. I really didn’t mean anything [by it] and don’t want to offend anybody. I’ve got love for everybody, and I don’t discriminate,” he told reporters during a postgame interview after the Hornets’ loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday. Check out Cam’ron’s full comments on LaMelo Ball’s fine below.
The NBA and Houston Rockets collaborated to bring exciting initiatives to the AfroTech conference in Houston from Nov. 13-16. One of the key highlights was the first-ever NBA Foundation Tech Challenge, where 25 students from local universities like the University of Houston, Rice University, Prairie View A&M University, and Texas Southern University presented business ideas based on real-world challenges.
Houston Rockets CMO Julian Duncan judged the challenge, NBA All-Star Baron Davis, and Amplitude’s Nikki Lasley. Prairie View A&M took home the top prize, with each student receiving $1,000 and a scholarship funded by a $25,000 donation from Amplitude.
The NBA Foundation also sponsored 100 Houston-area students to attend AfroTech, giving them access to valuable networking opportunities and career insights from top tech professionals. On the Executive Stage, NBA President of Basketball Operations Byron Spruell, WNBA Head of League Operations Bethany Donaphin, and Rockets GM Rafael Stone participated in a panel discussing the intersection of tech and basketball, offering advice on career development.
Additionally, Baron Davis engaged in a Fireside chat about entrepreneurship and innovation, sharing his expertise on blending business and basketball.
For years, Christmas Day has been the NBA’s biggest single day on the regular season calendar. The league builds its schedule around putting five marquee matchups on Christmas, and for a long time, they only faced NFL competition when Dec. 25 fell on a Sunday.
However, the NFL has played games on Christmas each of the past four years, and the big ratings they received were too tantalizing to go back to the way things were. After insisting that they wouldn’t put games on Christmas when it lands on a Tuesday or Wednesday, the NFL changed course when Netflix came calling, offering hundreds of millions of dollars to broadcast a pair of NFL Christmas games each of the next three years. That was the NFL officially ending their détente with the NBA over Christmas, and making clear that they weren’t going to cede the holiday back to basketball.
If that wasn’t enough, the NFL decided to run up the score on the NBA over the weekend, announcing late Sunday night that Beyoncé will perform at halftime of the Ravens-Texans game in her hometown of Houston. The one thing the NBA has going for it over the NFL on Christmas is that they are on linear television, with games on ABC and ESPN, while the NFL is on a streamer (albeit the largest one there is). As we have seen with Thursday Night Football and playoff games on Peacock, there is a pretty sizable drop-off in viewership for similar marquee NFL games from linear TV to streaming. However, the way to get more people over there is to give the non-football fans a reason to want to tune-in, and a Beyoncé halftime show is a sure-fire way to add some serious attention.
NBA fans and media have called on the league to fight back and reclaim their place as the Christmas headliner, but the truth is, there’s just nothing to do when the NFL decides to plant its flag. The NBA could put together its absolute best teams and have every star healthy, get Drake and Kendrick Lamar to squash their beef at midcourt during halftime, and they would barely put a dent in the ratings for the worst possible NFL game. Add in the fact that the NFL has a pair of really good games this year — Chiefs-Steelers and Ravens-Texans — and there’s just no chance for the NBA to get its corner fully back.
Being able to add a Super Bowl-caliber halftime performer (Beyoncé literally did one back in 2013) to the Christmas slate is just another example of the NFL’s embarrassment of riches. Could the NBA try and do more to add some cultural cache to their Christmas games? Sure, they could look at adding a performer in one of the marquee games, but halftime in NBA games is shorter than in the NFL, limiting the time on a performance (and for a performance set-up). That limits what you can do, and they’re just not going to get someone at the level of Beyoncé in that same spot — it doesn’t hurt the NFL that Beyoncé’s husband, Jay-Z curates the NFL’s Super Bowl halftime shows.
The reality is, the NBA can’t consider the NFL a direct competitor and instead needs to figure out how they can best serve the audience that would pick watching basketball over football. There is nowhere to hide from the NFL at this point. If there is money to be made and ratings to be had, the NFL has made it very clear they will be there to scoop up as much cash and as many eyeballs as they can. The NBA has tried moving off Thursdays until the NFL season ends, and held off on marquee showcase games on weekends until after football — it’s just not worth trying to challenge the NFL’s ratings superiority, particularly when there are nights when the NFL doesn’t air games. The question for the NBA now has to be, will they let their Christmas schedule become the latest casualty?
They still have some advantages in being on ABC and ESPN rather than Netflix, but the NFL moving off TV also makes it harder to benefit from the potential for fans to bounce back-and-forth because that involves the added barrier of exiting one app and opening another. As such, the best way forward isn’t to try and beat the NFL at their own game, as that’s not possible. Instead, the NBA has to keep looking at how to create the best basketball product and present that to their audience, while figuring out how to sustainably build their fan base.
The NFL, put simply, doesn’t have to worry about the same things the NBA does right now. They can send a Giants-Panthers game, featuring two of the worst teams in the league, overseas and sell it out while millions stateside wake up and tune in. They can withstand injuries and star absences and still clean up, as tens of millions of people are going to watch Cooper Rush vs. Tommy DeVito on Thanksgiving, while the NBA faces huge backlash for the same thing.
That’s because football is king in the United States. For as much as people want to come up with a magic fix that will make the NBA suddenly explode in popularity to be alongside the NFL, that just doesn’t exist because they aren’t playing football. As such, all they can do is focus on themselves and figure out what they can do to make the product as appealing as they can, with a focus on those who want to watch basketball. They can still go up against the NFL and do well on Christmas — last year was the least-watched NBA Christmas on record, and it was still their biggest viewership day of the season. The real challenge is how they build their basketball base, because you aren’t going to win a battle for casual eyeballs going up against the NFL, and especially the NFL plus Beyoncé.
As such, the NBA has to ignore the proverbial scoreboard between them and the NFL on Christmas. It’s a fight they will never win, but also, it doesn’t have to be viewed as a fight, even though on Dec. 26, there will inevitably be dozens of posts about how the NFL dusted the NBA in ratings, with a massive peak surely coming around the time of Beyoncé’s performance. But the NBA just can’t worry about that, because the NFL beats everyone and everything in the ratings game.
Instead, they have to keep the focus on the basketball and what they can do to get the best product on the court, all while accepting that the NFL is a ratings behemoth and adjusting expectations accordingly. There isn’t a quick fix that suddenly closes that gap, but one also shouldn’t be seen as necessary from the league’s point of view, because they have an 11-year, $76 billion national TV deal locked in. ESPN will certainly want to explore avenues to boost viewership — that’s their job — but the league should be taking the long view here, and that means ignoring the idea that they should be competing in the same weight class as the NFL and figuring out instead how to entertain basketball fans.
Once the NFL season ends, the NBA still becomes the biggest game in town. It doesn’t pull in football numbers (because, again, nothing does), but the Finals still pull in 10+ million viewers a game even in a down year, and there’s plenty of interest in the playoffs. I’m loathe to agree with arguments that the sky is falling and the NBA is in some terrible position in terms of people not wanting to watch basketball anymore. That said, if they are going to keep an 82-game schedule (which naturally makes each game less intriguing than a 17-game schedule like the NFL has where, every game feels vital to your chances at the playoffs) that starts in football season, they have to figure out how to raise the value of those games for the viewer, and that starts with raising their value to the players.
The NBA Cup is a great example of that, as they’ve gotten the buy-in from the players necessary to give November and December basketball some stakes that it previously lacked, and the result has been really fun basketball. The Christmas Day games also still matter to players, even if they’re no longer in a complete standalone spot on the sports calendar, but the truth is, the NBA has to be even smarter about who they put on the Christmas schedule. They can’t risk a repeat of last year’s Heat-Sixers game without Joel Embiid or Jimmy Butler, which made that the least-watched Christmas game in history, and this year they seem to have learned a lesson, pairing a team whose interest is driven by a single star (the Spurs with Victor Wembanyama) against a legacy franchise (the Knicks) that have a built-in floor for viewership.
I also think the NBA can look at this as an opportunity now to take some swings, knowing the NFL is going to hold casual eyeballs, and give some up-and-coming teams (say, the Thunder) a little bit of shine in hopes of delivering better games. Bank on better basketball to bring people in, rather than just hoping for star power, especially as the generation led by LeBron James, Steph Curry, and Kevin Durant that has always been able to bring in eyeballs ages out. And of course, try to provide a highly-competitive game for your basketball diehards to enjoy, because who knows? If the NFL game is a dud, you might even get people flipping over once Beyoncé steps off the stage.
Former NBA player Kyle Singler has fans worried about his mental health after sharing a video of himself shirtless, ranting about fearing for his life. The video began circulating online, this week, five years after he last played for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“I have been mistreated and abused, neglected, made into a mental example,” Singler said in the post. “And I fear for my life every day. And people in my community make me look out as if I’m going to be someone that’s going to be a problem and make things difficult for people when I’m only trying to be helpful. I feel like I have a certain way about myself and strength and purpose that does not get valued or get treated properly.”
Apr 19, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kyle Singler (15) leaves the game during the second quarter against the Houston Rockets in game two of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports
In response to the clip, several NBA players have reached out with supportive messages. “I love you Kyle. Hit me whenever. Please,” Kevin Love wrote. Andre Drummond added: “You aren’t alone brother! I’m here for you.” Chandler Parsons also called for the league to get him help: “HELP @NBA @TheNBPA. @KyleSingler needs you. we’re with you buddy.”
Kyle Singler Sparks Concern
Later, Kevin Love shared a lengthier message about his relationship with Singler. “To everyone who has spent time with Kyle Singler and whose lives he has touched – please shower him with the love and support he needs+deserves,” he said. “I would not be who I am today without him. I am forever indebted and love him. To the NBA family, Duke BB family, & South Medford community – let’s show up for one of our own.” Check out Singler’s video on social media below.
Bronny James has been assigned to the NBA’s G-League to play for the South Bay Lakers, NBA reports. Earlier reports indicated LeBron James’ son would play in the development league after being drafted in the second round by the Los Angeles Lakers. After improving in the preseason, the 20-year-old USC shooting guard made history in October by becoming the first father-son pair to play in the NBA. Bronny has been one of the organizaton’s biggest attractions so far.
Bronny James played in four games since October, including a homecoming against the Cavilers, and averaged 1 point, 0.2 rebounds, 0.5 assists, and 0.2 assists. The number of his jersey is inspired by the late recording artist JuiceWrld. Rich Paul, the agent of LeBron James and Bronny’s agent, claimed that the NBA star played better than most of the brench. Bronny signed a four-year, 7.9 million dollar deal with the Lakers in July – according to ESPN.
Bronny Reports To The “South Bay” Lakers For Development
LeBron’s son heads to the G-League while the icon continues to dominate the NBA as the oldest active player. In his sixth year with the Lakers – 22 years in the NBA – James has averaged 24 points and 6 rebounds. The small forward is on pace to achieve over 40,000 points in the NBA. James led the Lakers to an NBA championship in 2020.
King James prepared his son well as the newcomer embarks on his rookie season. Before playing against the Sacremento Kings in the season opener, LeBron told his son, “You about ready? You see the intensity, right? Just play carefree, tho. Don’t worry about mistakes, just go out and play hard.” Was Bronny playing in the G-League always the plan? How is LeBron still playing at an elite level? Do we still want the father and son duo to play a whole season together? Share your thoughts in the comments section below, and keep an eye on HNHH for more updates.
Houston Rocket’s Fred VanVleet commented on new Texan Drake‘s caution regarding the Toronto Raptors hanging Demar DeRozan‘s jersey in their rafters when he retires on Draymond Green’s podcast. Drake’s actions and comments toward DeRozan at Sacramento Kings against the Toronto Raptors last week went viral, with the Raptor’s ambassador claiming he would pull down Demar’s jersey should the team retire it with the organization. “If you put up a banner and, I’ll personally pull it down,” said Drizzy when asked about DeRozan by commentators.
A trending topic, Draymond asked VanVleet, a former Raptors player before signing a massive deal with the Rockets, if DeMar DeRozan, now playing for the Kings, can have his jersey retired with the Raptors. When asked about DeRozan’s retirement, Fred VanVleet said: “Yeah, I think it should. I think it should. I think that when you look at what he did, you know, especially when you want to give the history of the franchise and what Vince and all of those guys meant at the beginning and what that meant for Canadian basketball.”
Drake and Demar’s issues stem from the Compton-bred basketball star’s appearance in the music video for the Drizzy diss track “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar. In previous interviews, Demar shared that he appeared in the video because of his West Coast roots but did not have an issue with Drake. Many believe that Drake lost the iconic clash against Kendrick Lamar with “Not Like Us,” which spawned an Amazon-presented concert that united Los Angeles hip-hop. Demar responded to Drake’s comment about retirement after the game by saying, “He going to have a long way to climb to take it down.”
VanVleet played for the Raptors from 2016 to 2023. Traded to the Rockets in 2023, Drizzy made headlines trolling Fred during a regular-season game against the Raptors. Drake refers to Fred as his “look-alike.” Hip-hop shared mixed reviews of Drake’s antics towards the basketball stars. Do you think Demar will retire in Toronto? Will the 6 God seriously rip down the jersey if Toronto hangs it in their rafters? Share your thoughts in the comments section below, and keep an eye on HNHH for more updates.
Bridges, Wemby duel in Knicks W
