LeBron James declared after the Los Angeles Lakers’ victory over the Golden State Warriors on Christmas that the holiday belongs to the NBA.
“I love the NFL, but Christmas is our day,” James said on the field after the game.
James backtracked on his statement about who owned Christmas during a recent appearance on “New Heights.”
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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James dribbles against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. (Images by Kevin Jairaj-Imagn)
“Listen, I saw the damn numbers, after the fact, you guys kicked our asses, okay? From the audience’s point of view, you all kicked our asses,” James said.
The NBA had a big day, averaging 5.2 million viewers across its five games on Christmas, the most during the holiday in five years, but the NFL dominated those numbers.
Netflix averaged 24.2 million viewers between its two NFL games on Christmas.
James said Beyoncé’s halftime performance helped the NFL have a good day, despite the non-competitive games.
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Beyoncé on a scaffold during halftime of the game between the Houston Texans and the Baltimore Ravens, December 25, 2024. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
“You know, the games weren’t as good as they should have been, but when you have Beyoncé, go out there. (Patrick) Mahomes and Travis (Kelce) and you guys go there and kick.” Pittsburgh is a…, and you know Beyoncé goes out there,” James said.
The Lakers superstar made the analogy between the NBA and the NFL as if they were a little brother and an older brother fighting.
“But I had, you know, when you go out with your little brother, and he might get hit once, (he) says, ‘Hey, we didn’t lose that fight, we’re here, we’re here, ‘We didn’t lose,’ so I felt like I had to defend the NBA,” James said while laughing.
With Christmas falling on a Thursday next year, there’s a chance the NFL could have more than two games during the day as they continue to compete with the NBA for ratings over the holiday.
Lakers forward LeBron James smiles after scoring against the Denver Nuggets on March 2, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
James’ Lakers are 20-17 this season, and despite turning just 40 years old, James has been productive this season.
James has averaged just under 24 points per game, grabbing just over 7.5 rebounds per game and averaging almost nine assists per game.
The Lakers’ next game will be at home against the Miami Heat at 10 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
