Will the drought ever end? How the Charlotte Hornets can finally play on Christmas Day

There are 30 active NBA franchises.

Every year on Christmas Day, the NBA has around ten teams playing on national TV, essentially representing the league. Teams like the Lakers, Warriors, Celtics (well, not this year), Nuggets, and Knicks have been staples of Christmas Day games since the start of the decade, with teams such as the Spurs, Bucks, Mavericks, Heat, and plenty of others also filling in the rotation.

While there are 30 active franchises, 29 of them have been able to play on Christmas Day. 29 teams can say their fanbase has sat down on Christmas Day with their families and watched their favorite team win or lose with Mike Breen or Mark Jones on the call for ABC.

Then there is the Charlotte Hornets, who have yet to play a Christmas Day game since the inaguration in 1988.

There are, essentially, four main requirements to get on Christmas Day. How can the Hornets manage to fill these out and get a Christmas Day game?

Have an exciting young prospect

The easiest point out here. Whenever a team has an extremely hyped up prospect coming into year one, chances are they will see the spotlight on Christmas. The Spurs, despite being a lottery team, were able to get on the last two seasons because of Victor Wembanyama. Even though the Mavericks have a great team with a superstar, the Luka Doncic fiasco is something fans will not forget. They do have Cooper Flagg, though, which will get them the spotlight.

The Hornets' best chance here was in 2021. The team was coming off a play-in appearance with LaMelo Ball coming off a Rookie of the Year season. As of today, the squad would need to land someone like Darryn Peterson or AJ Dybantsa in the 2026 NBA Draft to make this requirement stick.

Have an NBA legend or current superstar

Mar 25, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) warms up before the game against the Orlando Magic at the Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images | Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images

The Lakers with LeBron. The Rockets with KD. The Warriors with Steph. These teams are all competitive, but they also have top 15 NBA players of all time. It makes sense that the league wants to continue to shine these stars, they are, and have been the biggest household names in the sport in the last 15 or so years.

Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Anthony Edwards are all superstars who, yes, are on competitive teams, but draw in viewership. Fans love owning these players' jerseys and get to watch them play.

Unless a surprise trade is coming in or a LaMelo Ball leap, this is extremely unlikely.

Be competitive

Mar 31, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets head coach Charles Lee looks at the scoreboard during the second half against the Utah Jazz at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

This is the one the Hornets should aim for. Of the 10 teams playing on Christmas this season, 8 were in the playoffs. The two teams that missed the playoffs are the San Antonio Spurs, who only missed out because Victor Wembanyama missed the entire second half of the season, and the Dallas Mavericks, who ended up getting Cooper Flagg.

What makes being competitive difficult for the Hornets is that you essentially have to be a top 5 seed. Cleveland, New York, OKC, Houston, the Lakers, and Denver all were top 5 seeds. Golden State has Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler, and Minnesota was just in the Western Conference Finals.

The Hornets likely will not see a Christmas Day game next season with this. Unless a surprise jump to being a top 5 seed happens, this one is still a few seasons away.

Big Market

Sadly, no. New York, Los Angeles, Golden State, Philadelphia and Boston see Christmas Day games nearly every year. They draw in big crowds, and give the NBA the viewership they want.

The Hornets, still viewed as a small market team, have yet to fill out this requirement.

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