Since 2021, the Phoenix Suns have been a familiar presence in the NBA’s holiday lineup, often taking center stage on Christmas Day and delivering high-energy performances under the brightest lights of the regular season. Devin Booker, the team’s superstar guard, has been at the heart of those matchups, producing the kind of big moments that make the holiday slate feel like a celebration of the league’s top talent. For Suns fans, it became more than just a basketball game—it was a December tradition, a yearly reminder that their team had earned a place among the NBA’s elite. But this year, that tradition comes to an abrupt halt. For the first time in several seasons, there will be no holiday spotlight for Booker and the Suns. No primetime slot on Christmas Day, no national TV broadcast framing their game as one of the must-watch events of the season. It’s a noticeable shift in the league’s scheduling priorities, and it speaks volumes about how quickly a team’s place in the NBA’s marquee conversation can change.
The NBA’s Christmas Day schedule has long been one of the most coveted pieces of real estate in the sports calendar. It’s more than just another game—it’s a showcase of the league’s biggest stars, best rivalries, and most marketable storylines. The teams selected to play on December 25th are often viewed as either championship contenders or franchises with massive national followings. The Suns have been in that spotlight for several years, facing off against the league’s best in games that carried both pride and prestige. Their absence this year sends a clear signal: the NBA no longer sees them as a guaranteed ratings draw in the current moment. For a team that just a couple of seasons ago was playing in the NBA Finals and then following it up with strong regular seasons, that’s a sobering realization.
This change didn’t happen in a vacuum. The league’s holiday schedule reflects shifting narratives, emerging stars, and evolving rivalries. When the Suns first landed their Christmas slot in recent years, they were a team on the rise, led by Booker’s ascension into superstardom, Chris Paul’s leadership, and a talented supporting cast that could go toe-to-toe with anyone. They were winning at a high level, competing deep into the playoffs, and producing the kind of headline-grabbing moments that made them impossible to ignore. But as rosters have evolved and other teams have surged into contention, the Suns’ grip on that spotlight has loosened. Injuries, postseason disappointments, and a West that’s more competitive than ever have all played a part in that changing perception.
For Booker himself, the absence of a holiday game might feel like a personal slight. He’s built a reputation as one of the league’s most electric scorers, capable of turning any stage into his own highlight reel. His performances in past Christmas games have been a blend of skill, flair, and competitiveness—the kind of moments that stick in fans’ memories. For someone so accustomed to proving himself under pressure, this scheduling snub could be the kind of motivation that pushes him and his teammates to reclaim their place among the league’s elite.
The psychology of this shift matters. Professional athletes thrive on recognition and respect, and the NBA’s decision to leave Phoenix off its marquee day can be read as a challenge: show us you belong again. The Suns don’t just need to be good—they need to be compelling. They need to stack wins, generate buzz, and remind the league and its fans that they are still a team worth building a primetime broadcast around. In a sense, this year’s absence could light the kind of competitive fire that regular-season wins alone sometimes can’t spark.
For the Suns organization, it’s also a reminder of the delicate balance between short-term success and sustained relevance. The NBA schedule is a reflection of storylines as much as standings, and maintaining a spot in the public eye requires constant reinvention. Teams like the Lakers, Celtics, and Warriors seem to have permanent residency on Christmas because they combine star power with market size and deep-rooted fan bases. For a market like Phoenix, the margin for error is thinner. Even a short slide in performance or intrigue can result in losing that primetime visibility. The Suns have the pieces to change that narrative—Booker remains one of the most dangerous scorers in the game, Kevin Durant is still a generational talent, and Bradley Beal, if healthy, offers yet another dynamic offensive weapon. But talent alone isn’t enough; it has to translate into moments and momentum that capture the league’s imagination.
Looking back, the Suns’ holiday appearances have often coincided with significant milestones in their recent history. Their 2021 Christmas matchup against the Golden State Warriors was framed as a battle between two Western Conference powerhouses. The following year’s holiday showdown offered another opportunity to measure themselves against elite competition. Each time, the game was more than just about the standings—it was about proving to a national audience that Phoenix belonged at the top of the league’s conversation. Without that stage this year, the Suns will need to find other ways to send that message, and those ways might come through grueling road trips, statement wins against top contenders, or playoff positioning battles down the stretch.
The league’s decision also reflects a reality about the NBA’s current star hierarchy. Younger superstars like Luka Dončić, Jayson Tatum, Anthony Edwards, and Victor Wembanyama are commanding more national attention, and franchises are being positioned around them for maximum exposure. That doesn’t mean Booker is out of the conversation—it just means the competition for those coveted spotlight moments is fiercer than ever. If the Suns want to reclaim their place, they’ll need to win both on the court and in the court of public opinion.
It’s worth noting that being left off the holiday schedule isn’t a permanent sentence. Plenty of teams have dipped in and out of the Christmas lineup depending on their relevance in a given season. A strong campaign, an MVP-caliber stretch from Booker, or a deep playoff run could quickly put Phoenix back on the radar for next year’s festivities. In some ways, not being on the schedule could even be beneficial—while other teams are managing the distraction and pressure of a holiday game, the Suns can use the time to rest, regroup, and focus on the bigger picture. The NBA season is a marathon, and saving energy for the second half could prove valuable, especially in a Western Conference that looks poised to be a dogfight for playoff seeding.
For the fans, though, the absence stings. Holiday games are about more than basketball—they’re about gathering with friends and family, sharing in the excitement, and seeing your team represented on one of the sport’s grandest stages. In Phoenix, it became a point of pride that the Suns had earned that spot year after year. Now, the only way to experience that same level of pride will be to watch the team force its way back into the national conversation through sheer performance. That could make the victories that follow even sweeter, especially if they culminate in a 2025 return to the holiday spotlight.
Ultimately, the end of the Suns’ holiday streak serves as both a warning and an opportunity. It’s a warning that past success doesn’t guarantee future recognition, and that in the NBA, the spotlight moves quickly to wherever the most compelling story is unfolding. But it’s also an opportunity—a chance to take this perceived slight and turn it into fuel for a season defined by urgency and purpose. Booker and his teammates have been here before, underestimated or overlooked, and they’ve shown they can rise above it. If they embrace the challenge, the next time the NBA sits down to craft its holiday schedule, the Suns could find themselves right back where they believe they belong—front and center, under the bright lights, with the basketball world watching.
And maybe, when that moment comes, it will feel even more satisfying than before. Not just because they’re back, but because they earned their way back. The Suns’ Christmas lights might be dim this year, but that doesn’t mean the fire has gone out. If anything, it might be burning brighter than ever, pushing them toward the kind of season that forces the league to put Phoenix back where it once was—on the NBA’s biggest stage, delivering primetime fireworks for all to see.
