Best NBA New Year's Eve performances in the past decade: Harden twice became a god

As we usher in the beginning of 2025, although the 2024-25 NBA season is still in full swing, we can look back at the highlights of the past 10 years of competition.

The 35-year-old James Harden was selected twice, which fully demonstrates how brilliant his career is and how active and powerful he is in the NBA. The following is the NBA's statistics of the top 5 best performances on NBA New Year's Eve in the past 10 years:

5. James Harden (2017-18 season)
Harden is the only player on this list to appear twice, when he played for the Houston Rockets. Harden contributed 40 points, 11 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks in the game, leading the team to a 148-142 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

4. Russell Westbrook (2015-16 season)

Westbrook, 26 years old at the time, led the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 110-106 victory over the Phoenix Suns. Westbrook played 34 minutes and contributed 36 points, 12 assists, 5 steals, 1 rebound and 1 block.

3. LeBron James (2021-22 season)

James has always had brilliant achievements, and it is almost expected that he will be on the list. James, who just celebrated his birthday, is 37 years old and played for the Los Angeles Lakers, helping the team beat the Portland Trail Blazers 139-106. Although James only played for 29 minutes, he scored 43 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks.

2. Luka Doncic (2022-23 season)

Doncic's performance was a classic in the Dallas Mavericks' 126-125 win over the San Antonio Spurs on New Year's Eve. Doncic contributed 51 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists, 4 steals and 1 block to the team, showing his overall dominance.

1. James Harden (2016-17 season)

Harden was selected twice, once at No. 5 and once at No. 1. Harden had one of the greatest individual performances on New Year's Eve in NBA history, contributing a triple-double of 53 points, 17 assists and 16 rebounds. Harden helped the Houston Rockets beat the New York Knicks 129-122.