Cavs to play on Christmas Day for first time since LeBron era
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The Christmas-themed Cavs' T-shirts in 2016. Photo: David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images
The Cleveland Cavaliers will play this year on Christmas Day, per ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania.
Why it matters: Christmas is one of the biggest days on the NBA calendar, a showcase generally reserved for the league's biggest stars and hottest rivalries.
- This will be the Cavs' first Christmas Day game since LeBron James was last on the roster.
Zoom in: The Cavs will play the New York Knicks in the only Eastern Conference matchup of the five-game slate.
- Cleveland and New York are projected to be the Eastern Conference's top teams, after injuries to stars on both the Indiana Pacers and the Boston Celtics.
The big picture: LeBron James, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant (now on the Houston Rockets), the marquee players of the NBA's old guard, are all scheduled to play.
Yes, but: Younger superstars have an opportunity to cement their place among the NBA's elite.
- The Cavs' Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley are squarely in that camp, alongside the Spurs' Victor Wembanyama, the Thunder's reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Timberwolves' electric guard Anthony Edwards.