LeBron James, ever the confident face of the NBA, found himself walking back his bold proclamation about Christmas Day belonging to basketball, as reported by Fox News.
After his Los Angeles Lakers triumphed over the Golden State Warriors on December 25th, James declared, “I love the NFL, but Christmas is our day.” That confidence wavered when he saw the staggering viewership numbers favoring the NFL.
During an appearance on New Heights, James admitted, “Listen, I saw the f**king numbers, after the fact, you guys kicked our a**, alright? From a viewership standpoint, y’all kicked our a**.”
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It was a humbling moment for the Lakers superstar, whose league averaged an impressive 5.2 million viewers across five Christmas games, marking the best performance for the NBA on that holiday in five years.
But the NFL? It completely crushed those numbers, with its two games pulling in an average of 24.2 million viewers. That’s not just a win—it’s a rout.
James, however, wasn’t short on reasons why the NFL reigned supreme. He pointed to none other than Beyoncé.
“The games weren’t as great as they should have been,” James acknowledged, “but when you have f**cking Beyoncé come out there, [Patrick] Mahomes and Travis [Kelce] go there and kick Pittsburgh’s a**, and you know Beyoncé comes out there…”
Hard to argue with the star power of Mahomes and the halftime performance by music royalty.
Despite the NFL’s overwhelming dominance, James likened the NBA’s effort to a scrappy little brother standing tall after taking a hit.
“When you go out there with your little brother, and he may get beat up one time, [he’s] like, ‘Hey, we didn’t lose that fight, we’re here, we stand here, we didn’t lose,’” James explained with a laugh.
Looking ahead, the NFL’s potential holiday schedule for 2025 could include more games, given that Christmas falls on a Thursday. This intensifying competition for holiday sports supremacy isn’t likely to die down anytime soon.
😂 LeBron on “Who owns Christmas” 🎄
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— LAVE (@TheLakersAvenue) January 15, 2025
James himself, now 40, continues to defy Father Time, averaging nearly 24 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 9 assists per game this season. As the Lakers currently sit at 20-17, they’ll look to build momentum as they face the Miami Heat on Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET.
While the NBA may have ceded Christmas viewership dominance to the NFL this year, James’ blend of humor and determination makes it clear he won’t let his league go down without a fight.
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