The Best NBA Christmas Moments we want on NBA Top Shot
by Jordan Kligman
12/20/2021
Despite the millions of presents being opened on Christmas morning, the best gift of them all might just be watching the NBA all day long. Christmas is around the corner, and with that comes the a new Deck the Hoops pack drop on NBA Top Shot, dropping on Tuesday, December 21.
This pack will contain nine Top Shot Moments, featuring 1 Legendary Deck the Hoops: 2010s Moment. These Moments will showcase the best plays on Christmas day from 2010 through 2019, with some headliners already released, including Kevin Garnett, Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Davis, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Jimmy Butler, and Klay Thompson.
The new Deck the Hoops pack will cost $999 and guarantee one Deck the Hoops Moment minted to only 55 — making it the most exclusive set to come to Top Shot since Series 1.
With that being said, let’s look back at the merriest Christmas day Moments of the decade that we’d love to see immortalized on Top Shot — from the 2010s and beyond.
(Note: art for this article comes from the NBA Top Shot blog.)
Chris Bosh’s and-one dunk (2010)
On Top Shot, Bosh has three Moments — all as a member the Toronto Raptors. But eventually, we’ll see him in Moments donning a Miami Heat uniform.
In 2010, Bosh made the biggest move of his career, moving to the Miami Heat in a sign-and-trade, where he completed the Big Three composed of himself, Dwyane Wade, and LeBron James. His game changed tremendously — as he transitioned from a post player to a big who could stretch the floor, yet one attribute remained the same: his ferociousness.
This dunk would make for an amazing Moment, highlighting everything about Bosh, including the emphatic reaction.
Derrick Rose’s game-winning floater (2011)
Similar to Bosh, this will be Rose’s first Moment on a new team on Top Shot, in Rose’s case, the Chicago Bulls. Rose will forever be remembered for his time in Chicago, igniting the city with his record-breaking MVP season in 2011.
The following season, the Bulls would faceoff against the Lakers on Christmas day, where Kobe Bryant and Derrick Rose would duel until the final buzzer. After an errant turnover from Bryant in the final seconds, the ball found its way to Rose, and he did what he did best: drive. Rose got in the paint and delivered a sweet floater to seal the deal.
When a Chicago Bulls Derrick Rose Moment eventually comes to Top Shot, expect it to be a hot commodity. Plus, it’ll be Kobe Bryant’s first appearance on the court on NBA Top Shot — a historic Moment indeed.
Since writing this article, this Moment has been confirmed to be in the new Deck The Hoops: 2010 set. It will be able to be earned through a challenge. See all of the Moments here.
Richard Jefferson’s dunk over Klay Thompson (2016)
Richard Jefferson certainly isn’t as memorable as Chris Bosh or Derrick Rose — but this throwdown he put over Klay Thompson is. So far, Jefferson only has one Moment on Top Shot in the Archive set (floor at $4).
Jefferson helped fuel a Cleveland Cavaliers comeback — sealed by a game-winning shot by Kyrie Irving — after being down 14 in the fourth quarter. Not only did he get the best of Klay Thompson, but earlier in the quarter he threw down a dunk on Kevin Durant, as well.
One of these two highlights will surely do to expand Jefferson’s presence on Top Shot.
Karl-Anthony Towns’ dunk on Corey Brewer (2017)
This was only the second-ever game on Christmas for the Minnesota Timberwolves, but they made sure to take advantage of the bright Los Angeles lights, downing the Lakers 121-104. And they were led by a dominant double-double from Karl-Anthony Towns.
At the time, this win propelled the Timberwolves to fourth in the Western Conference. Now the Timberwolves roster looks much different, having a new core surrounding Towns in D’Angelo Russell and Anthony Edwards, far removed from Andrew Wiggins and Jimmy Butler.
If this Moment ends up on Top Shot, we might have a new number one for best reaction Moments.
Since writing this article, a Karl-Anthony Towns Moment from this game has been confirmed to be in the new Deck The Hoops: 2010 packs, but it is not this Moment. See all of the Moments here.
Patrick Beverley’s block on LeBron James (2019)
The battle of Los Angeles! The stars were out for this one, including LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Kawhi Leonard, and Paul George. But it wasn’t any of those four that came up with the play of the night.
Patrick Beverley comes up with the denial on LeBron James to take down the first seeded Lakers in the West! Beverley and James have history dating as far back as when Beverley began his career in Houston in 2012.
No matter, Beverley came up huge for the Clippers, denying an unlikely foe on the largest of stages.
Since writing this article, this Moment has been confirmed to be in the new Deck The Hoops: 2010 packs. See all of the Moments here.
Dwyane Wade’s alley-oop to LeBron James (2013)
Yes, I’m cheating because we already know Wade will be in the drop, but because of the absurdity of these two alley-oops on the same day, we don’t how Top Shot will choose to use them. You can see the first at the beginning of the video above, then the second about a minute in.
Both of these plays are absolutely jaw-dropping and show off the unrivaled athleticism of LeBron James. And after the pack announcement, we now know that both of the Moments will be used in the Deck The Hoops: 2010s set.
It’s the best of both worlds with these Moments in the fact you’re getting Wade plus James. No doubt, these are some of the best dunks to ever happen on Christmas. It’s just a matter of which one Top Shot deems more spectacular to hit the site.
With both of these plays confirmed to be included on Tuesday’s Deck The Hoops drop, you can just about guarantee that these will be the most lucrative Moments of the bunch.
The Best NBA Christmas Day Moments pre-2010
Despite this upcoming Deck the Hoops pack drop restricted to Christmas day Moments after 2010, there’s too much history left on the table. It would almost be disrespectful given the number of highlights that have happened on the holiday.
Here’s a shortlist of some of my favorite Christmas day Moments before 2010:
- Rookie Patrick Ewing leads the Knicks comeback down 25 against the Boston Celtics in 1985
- Patrick Ewing’s last-second game-winner against the Bulls in 1986
- Shaquille O’Neal returning to Los Angeles facing Kobe Bryant for the first time since being teammates in 2004
- Tracy McGrady scores 41, and rookie LeBron James scores 34 in a showdown in 2003
- Roger Mason’s game-winning 3-pointer in 2009 against the Suns
- Penny Hardaway’s game-winner against the Rockets in 1995
- Kobe Bryant and the Lakers spoiling the Celtics 19-game winning streak in 2008, resulting in Phil Jackson’s 1,000 career win
The Best Christmas Moments are coming to NBA Top Shot
With the announcement of the Deck the Hoops set returning this year, it won’t be a shock if Top Shot continues bringing back older Moments on Christmas. Clearly, the Top Shot team has a lot of content to choose from, even after this drop.
What’s your favorite Christmas day Moment? If you’re an NBA fan, let me know what plays you’re excited to see from Christmas on NBA Top Shot, from this set or in the future.
Remember to join the Deck the Hoops: 2010s drop if you’re eligible with your Collector Score. The first queue starts at 12 p.m. EST on Tuesday.