By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Making his first appearance on NBA Christmas Day, Victor Wembanyama is set to lead the San Antonio Spurs in the Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks.
Shams Charania, senior lead NBA Insider for The Athletic and Stadium, revealed the 2024 NBA Christmas Day schedule on Wednesday. Besides Wemby, Serbian Nikola Jokic and Slovenian Luka Doncic are more household names from Europe set to display their talents on Christmas. In contrast, Greece’s star Giannis Antetokounmpo sits out after six consecutive appearances.
2024 NBA Christmas Day schedule
- New York Knicks – San Antonio Spurs
- Dallas Mavericks – Minnesota Timberwolves
- Boston Celtics – Philadelphia 76ers
- Golden State Warriors – Los Angeles Lakers
- Phoenix Suns – Denver Nuggets
The Spurs at the Knicks are scheduled to open the annual showcase. British OG Anunoby, French Pacome Dadiet, and German Ariel Hukporti are on the roster of the hosts, while French Sidy Cissoko, Georgian Sandro Mamukelashvili, and Polish Jeremy Sochan are among teammates of Wembanyama.
Jokic alongside Croatian Dario Saric and Slovenian Vlatko Cancar are up for Christmas action with the Denver Nuggets visiting the Phoenix Suns in Footprint Center. Bosnian Jusuf Nurkic is the lone European on the Suns roster.
Doncic will be joined by German teammate Maxi Kleber as the Dallas Mavericks host the Minnesota Timberwolves. On the opposite end, the matchup additionally features French Rudy Gobert plus Bosnian Luka Garza and Dutch Jesse Edwards.
Latvian Kristaps Porzingis and the defending champions Boston Celtics take on the Philadelphia 76ers. More Europeans in Portuguese Neemias Queta for the C’s and Turkish Adem Bona for the Sixers.
Dutch Quinten Post, drafted by the Golden State Warriors this summer, and French undrafted rookie Armel Traore of the Los Angeles Lakers represent Europe in the clash of Pacific rivals.