Christmas Day is perfect for throwing back pints, gorging yourself with roasted meat and pies, opening presents, and trying to have enough energy to watch a full slate of NBA games without falling asleep on the couch and spilling your beer all over yourself and the cushions. The games have become as much of a tradition as getting into drunken fights with your relatives or sister’s boyfriend on December 25. There’s another big thing at play here, too: the sneakers the players wear on the court. Up until this season, Christmas was one a select few days where players could wear whatever they wanted, and the brands took advantage of this.
It really picked up back in 2009, when Nike relaunched LeBron James and Kobe Bryant’s lines (more on that in a bit) and has grown since. It also doesn’t hurt that the NBA puts together the most intriguing, rival-fueled matches for the day, either. Lakers vs Celtics, Warriors vs Cavs, and the list goes on. Over the past 10 years, the Christmas Day sneaker tradition for the NBA has gotten better and better and here are picks for the best sneaker moments every year.
