This Day In Basketball History
1984 - Bernard King drops 60 at The Garden
As one of the marquee days on the NBA calendar, Christmas has provided basketball fans with countless memories over the years. But none was bigger or shined brighter than Bernard King at Madison Square Garden on Christmas Day, 1984.
In the midst of a career-year that sees him win the scoring title, King goes off for 60 points against the New Jersey Nets, splashing 19 of his 30 field goal attempts (63%) while getting to the free throw line 26 times.
The Knicks fall to the Nets, 120-114, but not before King sets a franchise scoring record that stands for 29 years and one month, until Carmelo Anthony scores 62 for the Knicks on January 25, 2014.
2008 - Phil Jackson hits the millennium mark
With a Los Angeles Lakers victory over the rival Boston Celtics in a Finals rematch, coach Phil Jackson becomes the sixth and fastest coach in NBA history to win 1,000 games.
2011 - Lockout-shortened NBA season begins
After a nasty lockout that lasted 161 days and wiped nearly two months off the regular-season schedule, the NBA begins its shortened, 66-game schedule with a classic Christmas Day slate.
Christmas, 2011 and the start of the 2011-12 season in general also gives us perhaps the greatest pregame musical montage in league history.
Birthdays
1988 - Eric Gordon