76ers' Matisse Thybulle Says Playing at Madison Square Garden on Christmas Day Is a 'Huge Compliment'

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Even though Matisse Thybulle has to work on Christmas Day, he's excited about it.

For NBA players, earning a spot on the league's coveted Christmas Day schedule is a "huge compliment," the Philadelphia 76ers guard tells PEOPLE ahead of his team's matchup against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

The 25-year-old still remembers watching the NBA's marquee matchups with his family every Christmas.

"Growing up, everyone, all of us, we all watched, and we all had the games on in the background or with our family sitting and watching," he tells PEOPLE of other basketball players who grew up with dreams of making it to the NBA.

"So you know that the games [the NBA] chose are the ones people want to see," he adds.

On top of the significance of earning a Christmas day slot, the Sixers will be playing at Madison Square Garden — one of the NBA's most famously unforgiving crowds. "It's kind of like the ultimate," he explains of the venue.

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But Thybulle thinks Philadelphia's fans have prepared him for the big day.

"People talk about MSG and playing at all these other arenas, but playing with Philly is still the hardest place to play, in my opinion," he says. "I mean, we get booed by our own fans, so it's like, to go into somewhere else to go play. It's like, ah, this is nothing."

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Fortunately for Thybulle, he'll have support in the arena on Christmas Day.

"I have a bunch of family in New York," he says, adding that his connection to the region will make Sunday's game even more special for him and his family.

"Especially because my dad and my family out there, they grew up in New York, so the importance of that arena and that game means a lot to them too," says Thybulle. "It's a special thing to be able to play, but then to do it for my family too is that much better."

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The matchup between the Sixers and Knicks will tip-off at 12 p.m. ET on Sunday, giving Thybulle plenty of time to spend the holiday with family after the final buzzer.

"We'll probably go to dinner and then just hang out and enjoy time together," Thybulle explains. But, he says, he's already started getting into the holiday spirit long before the big day.

"I watched Elf last night," he says while laughing.

The Will Ferrell classic is likely on everyone's Christmas movie list, but the Sixers star also shares a passion for a lesser-known holiday film.

"My mom's favorite that we used to always watch growing up was The Ref," he says. The 1994 film is about a cat burglar and a dysfunctional family, according to IMDB. Thybulle promises, "It's a really funny" must-see for the holiday season.

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Growing up, Thybulle, who spent a year in Australia when he was younger, says the most exciting part of Christmas for him — other than NBA Christmas Day — was "getting a white Christmas."

"Waking up and seeing the snow outside, that was probably one of the coolest things," he recalls. "That's the dream!"