Fever Player Adds Perspective to Draymond Green’s Christmas Day Game Debate
One of the most popular Christmas Day traditions for basketball fans is watching the league's best teams and players competing against each other from the comfort of their own homes.
There have been five NBA games played on Christmas Day since 2008. Among the most common teams to see are the Golden State Warriors, given that they're among the most successful NBA franchises this century and still have global icons Draymond Green and Steph Curry on their team.
However, Draymond Green called out why playing on Christmas Day isn't only a present for players during a December 29 episode of The Draymond Green Show.
"Yes, [playing on Christmas Day] is an honor to be considered one of the draws, the great draws that's in the NBA... It's great. To play on a day where everybody is watching is incredible. But two things can be true at once: playing on Christmas Day also f****** sucks," Green said, per an X post from @TheDunkCentral.
"And the reason it sucks is, number one, what I just said, it can affect your mood. Number two, we are human beings and, just like everyone else, enjoy Christmas Day with our families. That kinda gets messed up for us. [Other people are] in their homes, or on vacation with their families, making memories. We don’t, we don’t get that opportunity. So I hate when people are like, ‘Oh man, it’s an honor to play on Christmas Day.’ People should shut up. Like, no, you should shut up," Green continued.
"Because whether you played on Christmas Day or not, I don’t, I don’t really care of the perspective. Whether it's the perspective of someone that never played on Christmas Day or someone that has never come close to playing on Christmas Day, or any game in the NBA for that matter," he added. "My stance on it is the same: Playing on Christmas Day is great. It's fun. You get all the eyeballs. But you miss family time."
Draymond Green says playing on Christmas ‘f*cking sucks’ and that it can affect your mood 😳
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) December 29, 2025
“Playing on Christmas Day also f*cking sucks. And the reason it sucks is, number one, what I—what I just said, uh, it can affect your mood. Number two, we are human beings and, just like… pic.twitter.com/vVTviQIK2d
Brianna Turner Weighs In on the Reality of Playing Through the Holidays
These comments from Green prompted a response from forward Brianna Turner, who played for the Indiana Fever in 2025 and is currently playing for the Perth Lynx in Australia's Women's National Basketball League (WNBL).
"To add another perspective, it is tough playing overseas during the holidays in places that don’t celebrate Christmas. It’s just another day over there. fomo at a maximum level looking at social media 😭," Turner wrote on X.
To add another perspective, it is tough playing overseas during the holidays in places that don’t celebrate Christmas. It’s just another day over there. fomo at a maximum level looking at social media 😭 https://t.co/byZ670ciYk
— Breezy (@_Breezy_Briii) December 29, 2025
Turner makes a great point about the reality for the world's best women's basketball players, many of whom play overseas during the WNBA offseason to make more money.
Perhaps the increased salaries that are expected from the next Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) will allow Turner and other elite players to spend Christmas Day in the United States.
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Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the Indiana Fever and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.
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