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 2018, 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 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 Rickets, Knicks vs Cavs, and the list goes on. Over the years, the Christmas Day sneaker tradition for the NBA has gotten better and better and here are picks for the best NBA Christmas Sneakers every year since 2008.
Complex’s Favorite Sneakers of 2025
2008: Nike LeBron 6 'Chalk'
Worn by: LeBron James
The “Chalk” Nike LeBron 6 technically predates the onslaught of Christmas-themed signature sneakers that was about to come, but it would be fair to consider it the godfather of the modern holiday footwear. James laced up the sneakers—which paid tribute to his then-pre-game ritual of tossing chalk in the air—en route to a 93-89 victory against the Washington Wizards, whom the Cavs outed in the first round of the NBA Playoffs three straight seasons spanning from 2006-2008. It’s easy to forget the “Chalk” 6s thanks to the line’s shift to a more-is-better strategy when it came to the amount of colorways released, but it’s one of the few memorable versions thanks to its Christmas Day debut.
2009: Nike LeBron 7 'Christmas'
Worn by: LeBron James
2009 was a revolutionary year for Nike Basketball, and a new start for the line that found itself in an uninspired design rut. The brand relaunched the Kobe Bryant and LeBron James’ signature sneakers, on their fourth and seventh models respectively, through imaginative marketing and storytelling that’s become attached to Nike throughout the years. The shoes saw Bryant switch to a low-top and James go with full-length Air Max, and were pitched by the MVPuppets—a comical take on the two players’ personalities. For Christmas Day, James’ sneakers took on an ombre look that descended from black to crimson to a hot pink Air Max unit. This was also the last signature sneaker that James would receive as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers during his first tenure with the team. As luck would have it, LeBron and Kobe played each other on Christmas Day with the Cavs besting the Lakers. The sneaker even returned as a retro in 2019, cementing its status as one of the best NBA Christmas sneakers.
2010: Nike Kobe 6 'Grinch'
Worn by: Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant’s “Grinch” colorway of the Nike Kobe 6 has almost become played out in 2018—they’ve been popping up regularly this season thanks to the league’s lifting of sneaker color restrictions. But the shoe was legitimately shocking when it debuted in 2010. By the time the Kobe 6 released, Bryant had seemingly half the league hooping in low tops, so it took something like the bright lime green upper of the “Grinch” 6 to set him apart. The game may not have gone as planned for the Lakers, who lost by 16 to the LeBron James-led Miami Heat. Bryant didn’t have the greatest game himself either, scoring just 17 on 6-16 shooting. That hardly mattered though, because those numbers have been long forgotten. What has endured is the memory of the “Grinch" 6, as evidenced by its presence on NBA courts today. Those interested in owning the original pair have the chance to buy them through Joopiter right now, though the price is expected to exceed $10 million.
2011: Nike Kobe 7 'Cheetah'
Worn by: Kobe Bryant
The Nike Kobe 7 is a memorable shoe for several reasons. Not only did it look good and incorporate prints onto the shoe’s upper, it also came with multiple insoles with different ankle support options for the “Kobe System,” and was accompanied by a slick marketing campaign that featured Kanye West. 2011-2012 was an off season for Kobe Bryant and the Lakers, as they were beaten 4-1 by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Semifinals, which signaled a true changing of the guard in the NBA. But one thing was for certain: Kobe still had some of the best sneakers in the game, and his pair for Christmas Day that year came complete in a purple and yellow Cheetah colorway that would be echoed on an unreleased pair of Yeezys. As for the actual game, Bryant’s Lakers lost to Derrick Rose’s Chicago Bulls by a point.
2012: Air Jordan 18 & 20 PEs
Worn by: Ray Allen
When it comes to ranking the most popular Air Jordan models, the 18 and 20 aren’t typically at the top of many lists. But double down with two different Christmas-themed retro PEs on the same day, and now we have something to talk about. Ray Allen laced up a red suede edition of the 18 for the first half of the Miami Heat’s 2012 finals rematch against the Oklahoma City Thunder and followed it up with red patent pair of 20s for the game’s second half. Allen only scored 7 points, but the Heat bested the Thunder just as they had done the previous summer as LeBron James claimed his first NBA title. Allen wasn’t yet a member of the Heat, but he’d go on to win his own ring with the team a few months later.
2013: Air Jordan 11 Low 'Lakers' Custom
Worn by: Nick Young
Nick “Swaggy P” Young has been a lot of things during his NBA career: a flashy dresser on and off the court, a braggadocio player who takes high-risk shots, a journeyman, and an NBA champion. One of his signature moments came in 2013, when he wore a pair of custom Air Jordan 11 Lows in a Lakers purple-and-white colorway. Depending who you ask, the shoes are either great or awful. But the same can be said for much of Young’s career. The Kobe Bryant-less Lakers lost to LeBron James and the Miami Heat 101-96. Young chipped in 20 points, though, on 18 shots.
2014: Nike Kyrie 1 'Christmas' PE
Worn by: Kyrie Irving
In the years that Kyrie Irving had a Nike signature line he won an NBA title, staked claim to the title of the best-selling performance basketball sneakers, and become a constant presence on the hardwood—from local rec centers all the way to the NBA—thanks to the outstanding performance and playability of his shoes. The day after his inaugural model launched in the “Dream” colorway, Irving took the court in this PE that featured a Christmas-themed flip on the concept. It was an easy shoe to overlook thanks to the game being primarily remembered as LeBron’s first return to Miami following his departure for Cleveland, but was an early indicator of the success that was on the horizon for Irving and his sneakers—even in his post-Nike era.
2015: Nike Kyrie 2 'Christmas'
Worn by: Kyrie Irving
Kyrie Irving and the Cleveland Cavaliers were destined for one of the most legendary NBA seasons in 2015-2016, when they beat the 73-9 Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals after falling behind 1-3 in the series. The two teams faced off on Christmas Day earlier in the season, with the Warriors winning 89-83. Irving netted 13 points in that game, although he’d go onto be a hero in the Finals. His sneakers that day also showed that Nike and the young point guard were onto something, with a turquoise-and-grey pair of his Kyrie 2s that also dropped at retail. They may be slightly forgotten in Irving’s sneaker canon, but they laid the foundation for his best season to date.
2016: Nike LeBron 14 'Out of Nowhere'
Worn by: LeBron James
Sneaker brands have gotten better over the years at slowing the flow of leaked products, but it’s still pretty rare to have a genuine on-court debut of a sneaker. But Nike and LeBron James achieved just that with this Christmas Day unveiling of the Nike LeBron 14, which came nearly 15 months after the retail launch of its predecessor. The model, and this colorway in particular, featured a design reminiscent of the Acronym x Nike Air Presto collection that had dropped a few months prior and landed atop many “Sneaker of the Year” lists by the time of this unveil. James, who’d primarily been wearing the Soldier 10, made the debut count too, racking up 31 points, 13 rebounds, and 4 assists in a 109-108 victory over the Golden State Warriors—the team he’d just beaten in the NBA Finals the previous season.
2017: Kith x Nike LeBron 15
Worn by: LeBron James
What if we said that a kid working in the stockroom of New York City sneaker store would go onto design high-profile sneakers for the best NBA player in the league? Such is the case for Ronnie Fieg and his collection for LeBron James that first released in 2017. The sneakers, which had a full zipper up the front, helped reposition James’ sneakers as “cool” again in the NBA, much like his Christmas pair from 2009, after a few seasons when his signature line had been on the downturn. Nike gave it a knit upper, but Fieg reworked it for James and also lent his streetwear cool to the NBA superstar. Big sneakers for a big man. The Cavs once again lost to the Warriors that day, and would get swept in the NBA Finals, signaling James’ departure for Los Angeles. But he had regained something in his footwear line that he’d desperately been missing.
2018: Nike Lebron 6 'Stewie'
Worn by: P.J. Tucker
P.J. Tucker had firmly cemented his status as the sneaker king of the NBA, but 2018 was the first year he'd claimed title to the best NBA Christmas sneakers. Part of that reason is that he just hasn't had that many opportunities. The NBA typically reserves it's holiday schedule for the best teams and the biggest markets, and Tucker's many seasons with the Phoenix Suns meant he spent those Christmases with off days. And since the league perpetually overlooked the Toronto Raptors, that meant his seasons with the Rockets were his first chances to show out on the biggest stage. He took full advantage of his 2018 opportunity, even up against major competition. Not only did he manage to upstage LeBron James' "SuperBron" 16 and the return of #LeBronWatch, he did so wearing one of the most exclusive pairs from the vast archive of LeBron PEs: a Family Guy-themed Nike LeBron 6.
2019: Air Jordan 4 'Wahlburgers'
Worn by: PJ Tucker
For a second straight season, the NBA sneaker king reigned supreme on Christmas Day. PJ Tucker actually laced up a number of sneakers on Christmas, including the Nike KD 12 “Aunt Pearl” and a pair of Kobe 4 Protros. But it was what Tucker started the game with that caught everyone’s eye. The Rockets’ wing warmed up and began the first quarter in the incredibly rare Air Jordan 4 “Wahlburgers,” of which the most recent sale on StockX was nearly $10,000. Tucker had made himself must watch sneakerhead TV by this time due to his incredible collection, so when all eyes were on his feet on the 25th, he delivered. Sadly, his Rockets didn’t as they lost to a then-struggling Warriors club.
2020: Nike Zoom Kobe 6 'Grinch'
Worn by: Anthony Davis
Anthony Davis’ footwear choice for Christmas Day in 2020 was filled with significance. The NBA season had begun just three days prior, on Dec. 22, thanks to a schedule shortened by COVID restrictions which were finally beginning loosen. It was also the first Christmas Day game for the Lakers following the passing of Kobe Bryant. In his honor, Davis laced up the shoe to to pay respect to Bryant on the 10th anniversary its debut. Davis would go on to say that "[the best] Christmas shoe is definitely the Grinches. I don’t think no one can argue that." No arguments here.
2021: Nike LeBron 8 'Watch the Throne'
Worn by: LeBron James
Remember when Nike Basketball had some of the most exciting special editions going in sneakers? Remember when Kanye West (as he was known back then) was still making music we could celebrate? Those eras may feel distant now, but they reverberated in the 2020s when Nike brought back the “Watch the Throne” Nike LeBron 9, a one-time friends and family colorway from 2011 that re-emerged as a retail release in 2022. As Nike made that LeBron 9 widely available, it also rolled out a teaser of a similar pair of LeBron 8s that’s hardly been seen since. LeBron James himself wore the shoe for Christmas 2021, donning the wild Nike LeBron 8 that looked to be a riff on the “Watch the Throne” theme, this one blasted with significantly more gold.
2022: Nike Ja 1 'Christmas'
Worn by: Ja Morant
2022 marked a lot of firsts for Memphis Grizzlies star guard Ja Morant. Not only did he appear in the first Christmas Day game in the franchise’s history, but he got to debut his first signature shoe, the Nike Ja 1. The Swoosh billed Morant as its “first Gen Z” signature athlete, and in that game against the Golden State Warriors, he put up an impressive 36 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and had eight assists in 41 minutes of action. Not a bad first impression, and one of the best NBA Christmas sneakers too.
2023: Nike LeBron 21
Worn by: LeBron James
For his 18th appearance playing on Christmas Day, LeBron James broke out an unreleased colorway of his Nike LeBron 21 signature shoe for the historic matchup between his Los Angeles Lakers squad and the Boston Celtics. The last time these two teams faced off on the holiday was back in 2008, when the league introduced Christmas jerseys. Those special uniforms have been missing since ‘17, but James has done his part to bring them back—campaigning on X and asking the league to make Christmas jerseys happen again.
2024: Adidas AE 1
Worn by: Anthony Edwards
Anta Claus, as in Anthony Edwards (as opposed to some holiday figure from the Chinese sneaker brand Anta), made his debut in a holiday Sprite campaign in 2024. That same year, Edwards made his Christmas Day on-court debut, wearing a pair of his low-cut AE 1s. The sneaker featured a holiday-ish look that featured shades of red and green, but the bigger story was it marked Edwards’ arrival as a bonafide sneaker star, hot on the heels of sneaker of the year honors. He had a rather inefficient 26 points on 24 attempts, but the TWolves held off the Mavs—still led by Luka Doncic, for a big win.
2025: Converse Shai 001 'Winter Red'
Worn by: Jordan Clarkson
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wasn’t the first person to wear his festive “Winter Red” Converse Shai 001 on the court for the NBA’s Christmas Day games yesterday. That honor actually went to New York Knicks guard Jordan Clarkson, who ended up having a monster 25-point game off the bench to help his team secure a two-point victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Clarkson also made a lace swap by adding white fuzzy laces, which helped add a subtle twist to his pair, making it the best NBA Christmas sneaker of 2025.