Inside The Wizards

Wizards Hold Surprising Christmas Record

The Washington Wizards have a deep history on Christmas Day.

Jeremy Brener

Dec 21, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Washington Wizards guard Malcolm Brogdon (15) and Milwaukee Bucks guard Gary Trent Jr. (5) battle for a loose ball in the second quarter at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
Dec 21, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Washington Wizards guard Malcolm Brogdon (15) and Milwaukee Bucks guard Gary Trent Jr. (5) battle for a loose ball in the second quarter at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images / Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
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The Washington Wizards are waking up on Christmas morning in their pajamas with their hot cocoa not having to worry about suiting up for a game today.

Instead that duty goes to 10 other teams and the Wizards may tune into the games today.

Even though the Wizards aren't playing on Christmas this year, they actually have an extensive history of playing on Dec. 25.

Only the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Sacramento Kings and Boston Celtics have more wins on Christmas than the Wizards. However, the Wizards hold the distinction of having the best win percentage (.696) of any team that has played at least 20 times on Christmas.

The Miami Heat, Portland Trail Blazers and Utah Jazz have better Christmas win percentages, but they don't have as large of a sample size as Washington does.

The Wizards' franchise history on Christmas dates back to the 1960's when they were the Chicago Packers. The tradition carried with them when they moved to Baltimore and then to D.C. in 1973.

The team is 16-7 on Christmas Day, with their last win coming in 2017 when it beat the Boston Celtics, who had a rookie Jayson Tatum playing in the game.

Bradley Beal led the way with 25 points while John Wall had 21 points and 14 assists. Tatum and Kyrie Irving each had 20 points apiece for the Celtics, but it wasn't enough to get the fans a gift for Christmas in Beantown.

The Wizards haven't played on Christmas since, and given where they are as a team, it's possible that we won't see them on this day for the next several years. But when they do eventually return to the Christmas Day slate, they will have a winning tradition to uphold.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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