Playing on Christmas ‘Fucking Shit’

It is played on Christmas Day is not a gift that some might expect it to be, according to Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green.

NBA veteran recently explained his perspective on the league’s holiday tradition on his podcast, ‘The Draymond Green Show.’

“To play on a day when everybody’s watching, it’s amazing,” Green said (h/t Awful Announcing’s Ben Axelrod). “All those things are great. But two things can be true at the same time: playing on Christmas is also bullshit. And the reason it sucks is, number one…it can affect your mood. Number two, we’re human beings and like everyone else, we enjoy Christmas with our families — it kind of gets spoiled for us. They’re in their homes or on vacation, when we have a chance to remember with our people. Like, ‘Oh man, it’s an honor to play on Christmas. People should shut up.’ Like, no, you should shut up.”

The comments are sure to get Green’s attention, though Green said there are some “cool” and “fun” things about them, given that Christmas games are among the NBA’s most popular traditions and Green is among the most polarizing players in the NBA.

Since 1947, the NBA’s second year, at least one game has been played on Christmas Day. And because of the more recent tradition of the defending champions playing on the holiday, as well as their popularity, Green and the Warriors regularly played on Christmas Day.

“Playing on Christmas is also fucking rubbish. And the reason it sucks is, number one… it can affect your mood. Second, we’re human beings and, like everyone else, we enjoy Christmas with our families.”

-Draymond Green

(via @DraimondShov)pic.twitter.com/CP2BFOKEi1

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 29, 2025

After facing the Los Angeles Clippers in 2013 and 2014, Golden State played the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2015, 2016 and 2017. Since then, they have faced the Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets, Milwaukee Bucks, Phoenix Suns, Memphis, Dallas Mavericks, most recently on Christmas Day. In total, the Warriors have played 12 consecutive games on Christmas Day, including eight at home.

Green, 35, was drafted in 2012 by the Warriors, who coincidentally did not play on Christmas Day that year, and is the only year since 2019 that Golden State has not done so. Prior to Green’s arrival, the Warriors played the Portland Trail Blazers and Clippers in 2010 and 2011. Until then, they had not played on Christmas since 1984.

Despite his apparent wishes, Green and the The Warriors, who beat out former teammate Klay Thompson last week, it will almost certainly be played on December 25 next year, regardless of the circumstances.