“The NFL got greedy and started adding Christmas games,” Barkley, 62, said before the day’s slate of games on NBA Tipoff on ESPN. “We used to have this day to ourself, but [NFL commissioner] Roger Goodell and them pigs at the NFL always want to hog every day of the week now.”

Christmas Day includes three NFL matchups and five NBA games. We're previewing them all with picks, predictions, storylines and more.

Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley criticized the NFL for having games on Christmas Day, saying that the holiday should be reserved for the NBA.

The rest of this year’s NBA Christmas slate features the reigning champion Thunder hosting Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs; Steph Curry’s Warriors hosting the Mavericks, who have No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg; LeBron James’ Lakers hosting Kevin Durant’s Rockets and Nikola Jokic’s Nuggets hosting the Timberwolves.

The NBA has taken steps to discourage "load management" by assessing fines when teams rest All-Stars and by making it so that players have to suit up for 65 games to qualify for awards consideration.