Seven of the league’s ten most-viewed players will take the court on Christmas Day, with LeBron James and Steph Curry still holding down their roles as the NBA’s surefire superstars. As they continue to shoulder the responsibility of being deemed the face of the league face for over the past decade, Ja Morant and Victor Wembanyama have emerged as the likely new faces based on popularity.

The NBA is leaning heavily into this star power for its Christmas Day schedule, which begins with Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs traveling to Madison Square Garden to take on the New York Knicks. The MSG stage is fitting for the former No. 1 pick and one of the most hyped rookies in decades, whose mix of size, skill, and social media appeal has already earned him a top-three spot in the NBA’s most-viewed players list above Curry.

The festivities continue for the second game, which pits Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks. Fresh off his FIBA World Cup breakout, Edwards continues to carve his path as one of the league’s next big stars, while Doncic continues to be a global icon and a perennial MVP candidate. Ironically, neither player was featured on the NBA list as official criteria for the “most-viewed” players list remains unknown.

In the afternoon, the reigning champion Boston Celtics face the Philadelphia 76ers in a classic Atlantic Division rivalry. Jayson Tatum, the ninth player on the list, will look to outshine the 2023 MVP in Joel Embiid, who was also a glaring omission from the list.

The real fireworks come in the primetime matchup, where LeBron’s Lakers face Curry’s Warriors. The night concludes with the Denver Nuggets [5th in Western Conference] hosting the Phoenix Suns. The Suns are in 11th place with an even 14-14 record, with fifth place just two games away.

While the Grizzlies won’t play on Christmas, Morant’s status as the second-most viewed player on social media guarantees the league’s change to go viral will spill into Memphis’ Dec 26 primetime matchup against the Toronto Raptors. The electrifying guard is the only player in Memphis history to record a triple-double in 30 minutes or less, and he’s done it two times.

Ja Morant is guarded by Victor Wembanyama

Ja Morant and Victor Wembanyama continue to climb the NBA’s most viewed players list ( 

Image:

Getty)

The NBA noted that Morant’s past two 360 layups from the Grizzlies-Nets game generated over 170 million views across NBA socials, which remains a league record. Morant reproduced the same athletic aerial move against the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday, spreading the clip aggressively across social platforms.

Full list of NBA’s Top 10 Most-Viewed players [2024-25]

  1. LeBron James [Los Angeles Lakers]: 623 million
  2. Ja Morant [Memphis Grizzles]: 538 million
  3. Victor Wembanyama [San Antonio Spurs]: 402 million
  4. Stephen Curry [Golden State Warriors]: 350 million
  5. LaMelo Ball [Charlotte Hornets]: 237 million
  6. Giannis Antetokounmpo [Milwaulkee Bucks]: 227 million
  7. Klay Thompson [Dallas Mavericks]: 189 million
  8. Nikola Jokic [Denver Nuggets]: 182 million
  9. Jayson Tatum [Boston Celtics]: 175 million
  10. Anthony Davis [Los Angeles Lakers]: 169 million