15 Christmas sports memories: Billy Martin, Ed Podolak, LeBron James and Bernard King

Billy Martin, LeBron James, Patrick Ewing, Bernard King are among those athletes tied to Christmas.

Christmas and sports have become associated with the NBA. For many years, the Blue-Gray college All-Star game was played on Dec. 25. There have been some NFL games on the holiday, too. And a somber remembrance as Yankee legend Billy Martin lost his life on Dec. 25, 1989.

Blue-Gray games

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The Blue-Gray All-Star game was a fixture on Christmas from 1979-2003, exempting 2003. The annual contest was discontinued after the Blue’s 31-24 victory in 2003.