Victor Wembanyama and Anthony Edwards set to make their NBA Christmas Day debuts

Victor Wembanyama and Anthony Edwards are set to participate in Christmas Day games for the first time this Wednesday, marking the NBA's 77th year of holiday contests.

Wembanyama, the French center and last season's NBA Rookie of the Year, will guide the San Antonio Spurs as they travel to New York to compete against the Knicks, who hold the record for the longest history of Christmas games in the league.

Entering this year, the Knicks have played a total of 56 Christmas games, the highest of any NBA team, with their inaugural game occurring in 1947, the same year the first NBA Christmas game was held.

Standing at 7-foot-3 (2.21m), Wembanyama averages 24.8 points, 9.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 4.0 blocked shots per game for the Spurs, who are making their Christmas Day appearance for the first time in eight years.

"I am very excited about spending Christmas in New York," Wembanyama expressed. "I hope it will be like the movies, perhaps with a bit of snow."

"I will treat it like any other game. We need to study their team, scout them, and apply our strategies. I am confident it will be a special experience, and I believe the league will ensure it is memorable for us."

Edwards, a two-time NBA All-Star guard who played a pivotal role in securing gold for the United States at the Paris Olympics, aims to energize the Minnesota Timberwolves during their holiday road trip to Dallas, which is a rematch of last season's Western Conference finals.

Known as "Ant-Man," he leads the Timberwolves with an average of 25.3 points per game, along with 5.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.4 steals this season.

On the Christmas schedule, the league's last three champions will also take the court on Wednesday. The defending champion Boston Celtics will host the Philadelphia 76ers, the 2022 champion Golden State Warriors will welcome the Los Angeles Lakers, and the 2023 champion Denver Nuggets will face the Phoenix Suns on the road.

LeBron James of the Lakers, who will turn 40 next Monday, holds the record for the most points scored on Christmas Day with 476 points across 18 games. He shares the record for the most Christmas Day wins by a player, with 10, alongside his former Miami teammate Dwyane Wade.

The Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Knicks hold the NBA record for the most Christmas Day victories, each with a total of 24 wins.

This year commemorates the 40th anniversary of Bernard King's remarkable achievement of scoring 60 points, the highest single-game total recorded on Christmas Day in NBA history. Additionally, three other players—Rick Barry, Wilt Chamberlain, and Luka Doncic—have each scored 50 or more points in a Christmas game, with Doncic achieving this milestone last year with a 50-point performance.

Currently, the Lakers (16-13) and the Golden State Warriors (15-13) are competing for the seventh position in the Western Conference, closely followed by the San Antonio Spurs (15-14) and both the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Phoenix Suns, who are tied at 14-14.

The Dallas Mavericks are positioned fourth in the Western Conference with a record of 19-10, just ahead of the Denver Nuggets at 16-11.

In the Eastern Conference, the Boston Celtics hold the second spot with a record of 22-7, leading the New York Knicks (19-10), while the Philadelphia 76ers are struggling with a 10-17 record, placing them 12th in the East.