LeBron James said after the Los Angeles Lakers’ victory over the Golden State Warriors on Christmas that this holiday belongs to the NBA.
“I love the NFL, but Christmas is our day,” James said on the field after the game.
James returned to his statement regarding Christmas’ ownership during a recent appearance on “New Heights.”
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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James dribbles against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center. (Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images)
“Look, I saw the f—— numbers, after the fact, you gave us a kick in–, okay? From an audience standpoint, you all gave a kick our–,” James said.
The NBA had a great day, averaging 5.2 million viewers during its five Christmas games, the most on any 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 having Beyoncé performing at halftime helped the NFL have a good day, despite the non-competitive games.
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Beyoncé on a scaffold at 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 great as they should have been, but when you f—— Beyoncé, get out. (Patrick) Mahomes and Travis (Kelce) and you, go- y and kick it. Pittsburgh is a…, and you know Beyoncé is coming there,” James said.
The Lakers superstar made the analogy between the NBA and NFL as little brother and big brother fighting.
“But it was, you know, when you go out with your little brother, and he might get beat up one time, (he) says, ‘Hey, we didn’t lose that fight, we’re here , we stay here, we didn’t lose, that’s how I felt I had to stand up, I had to stand up for the NBA,” James said with a laugh.
With Christmas falling on a Thursday next year, there’s a chance the NFL could have more than two games in the day as it continues to compete with the NBA for ratings over the holidays.
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 even though he just turned 40, James has been productive this season.
James averaged just under 24 points per game while grabbing just over 7.5 rebounds per game and averaging nearly nine assists per game.
The Lakers’ next game is at home against the Miami Heat on Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET.
