Kings crave Christmas night feast against United

The history of the Christmas Day game in the NBA is a long and storied one, and for the first time in league history the NBL will be hosting a Christmas clash of its own.

The first Christmas Day game in NBA history was played in 1947, in which the New York Knicks defeated the Providence Steamrollers. Since then, there's been a game on the holiday every season bar the lockout-affected 1998 campaign.

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This year, the Sydney Kings will take on Melbourne United at Qudos Bank Arena on the historic occasion, as the competition looks to embed itself as the number one sport in the Australian summer sporting calendar.

Having grown up with a father working for the San Antonio Spurs, Sydney Kings coach Chase Buford is well-accustomed to basketball during the holidays. He says he's excited for Australia to experience a gameday during such a family-focused time of the year.

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“I think there’s a fun vibe around a Christmas Day game that’s kind of unique,” Buford told The Huddle.

“Basketball brings people together. It’s a fun game and more memories are shared with new people or old friends and family, all the better … one more thing to do at Christmas is never a bad thing.

“For me, Christmas Day [started] at 11:30am central with the early showing games. That was when we’d sit down and start hanging out as a family, open presents and watch the game.

“Christmas and basketball make sense to me. I know it’s new to a lot of people but I think they’ll like it and it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Sydney announced a record-breaking opening day for ticket sales on Thursday, as the Kings look to claim back-to-back championships.