5 best NBA Christmas moments ever

1. Bernard King (1984 vs. New Jersey Nets)

One of the NBA’s forgotten heroes, Bernard King, certainly cemented himself in the history books, ensured he’d never be forgotten, by dropping a nice, round 60 on his crosstown rival in 1984 at Madison Square Garden. It was King’s career-high in points; he averaged 32.9 points that season, but the grandeur surrounding putting on such a show at the Garden on Christmas Day is unmistakable.

To truly impress in a Christmas Day game, however, you have to do more than score. Something to put you above the rest, besides getting buckets. Just as King’s career scoring numbers are made more impressive by his remarkable 51.8% shooting percentage, his Christmas Day display jumps off the page most because of the 19-30 shooting performance that accompanied it.

Toss in 7 rebounds and a nearly one-to-one turnover ratio (good for an astounding 46.9% usage rate), and this is the obvious choice for first on a dazzling list. Great moments from the YouTube highlight reel of this one include: Calling the team the Knickerbockers casually; the words “Coach Hubie Brown”; King’s unusual free throw posture; points 40-60 coming almost entirely from pull-up jumpers out of a double-team.

Also this, of course:

Any 60-point performance that includes zero threes is both confusing and incredible. Thank you, Bernard King.