Atari’s original video game console was the hot toy. Elvis Presley died unexpectedly. The first “Star Wars” movie was released.
The year was 1977.
That was the last time the Milwaukee Bucks appeared on Christmas Day.
“It’s been a while,” Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo said, knowing it was an understatement.
Their wait is over. On Tuesday, at 11 a.m. in Milwaukee, noon on the East coast and 7 p.m. in Greece – one of the 215 countries that will be seeing the NBA’s Christmas games, and a basketball-crazed nation where fans will watch in droves to see their brightest star – that will all change, when Antetokounmpo and the Bucks visit the New York Knicks.
He knows that the world will be watching.
“I always wanted to play in a Christmas game,” said Antetokounmpo, the 24-year-old MVP candidate who is averaging 26.2 points per game this season. “When I came to the league I started watching it, and I wished and hoped that one day we can be there as a team to play a game – and the day has come.”
No team has been waiting longer for an invite to the NBA’s on-court holiday party than the Bucks. Milwaukee has won two playoff series in the last three decades, and both were in 2001.
But with Antetokounmpo as a full-fledged star and one of the NBA’s best records at 22-10, the Bucks and their best player are ready for their close-up.
“When you’re a kid, you love the game of basketball, you love opening your presents, but you can’t wait for these games to come on,” said Dwyane Wade of Miami, who has been part of 10 wins on Christmas Day – more than any other player.
“Basketball on Christmas is like football on Thanksgiving. The whole world watches these games. The whole world is going to watch Giannis. When they put you on Christmas, you’re marquee. You’re a marquee name in the league.”
“Christmas games always stand out,” said LeBron James, who will wear a Los Angeles Lakers uniform on the holiday for the first time. “Some more than others, but Christmas games always stand out. They’re all big-time.”
The game and the league have changed mightily since the Bucks’ last Christmas appearance.
The NBA had 22 teams, including long-gone ones in Buffalo, Seattle and Kansas City – which played host to Milwaukee on that day in 1977. Los Angeles had only one team. Washington’s team was called the Bullets, the Jazz played in New Orleans, Larry O’Brien was relatively early into his stint as NBA commissioner, and the ink was still drying on the NBA-ABA merger. There wasn’t even a 3-point line.
Another big change since then: the globalization of the game.
In 1977, only 17 players born outside of the U.S. had ever scored in an NBA game. Now that number is 439 – and someday, the name of a kid who will tune in from some remote corner of the world to watch Antetokounmpo probably will be added to that list.
“It’s amazing playing a Christmas game at Madison Square Garden,” Antetokounmpo said. “It’s exciting. We’re happy about that. We’re happy the NBA chose us to be one of those teams and hopefully we can put on a good show for all of the people who are going to watch the game and enjoy the game, and enjoy Christmas also.”
Here’s a look at each of the five games Tuesday:
BUCKS AT KNICKS
Congratulations to the schedule-makers because there’s no way they could have known this Christmas game would be wrapped in animus. Giannis Antetokounmpo was peeved at New York forward Mario Hezonja – who dunked on him, stared at him and then stepped over him when the teams met Dec. 1.
THUNDER AT ROCKETS
A rematch of a game from Christmas 2017, which the Thunder won, 112-107. Oklahoma City is 6-2 on Christmas since the team moved there; when the franchise was in Seattle, it was 0-11 on the holiday. Chris Paul of the Rockets will miss Christmas for the third straight year – with the Clippers, he had a left hamstring strain and missed their game against the Lakers in 2016, he sat out last year’s Houston-OKC game with a groin strain, and this year it’s another left hamstring issue that will keep him out.
76ERS AT CELTICS
These are heated, historic rivals but they’ve met on Christmas only once before – in 1961, when the 76ers were the Syracuse Nationals. Boston, which famously avoided home Christmas games forever (the Celtics played their first 30 such games away from Boston), will be at home on the holiday for the second consecutive season.
LAKERS AT WARRIORS
It’s the 20th consecutive Christmas appearance for the Lakers, and with James there now, don’t expect that streak to end anytime soon. Kevin Durant of the Warriors apparently loves playing on the holiday; he’s averaging 31.1 points in his eight previous Christmas games.
TRAIL BLAZERS AT JAZZ
Portland is 14-3 all-time on Christmas and could tie Miami (10-2) for the best winning percentage on the holiday if it tops the Jazz. Meanwhile, for Utah, it’s a chance for guard Donovan Mitchell to get his first – but almost certainly not his last – look at playing on Christmas.
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