LeBron James declared after the Los Angeles Lakers win 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 court after the game.
James walked back his declaration of 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 American Airlines Center. (Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images)
“Listen, I saw the f—— numbers, after the fact, you guys kicked our a– alright? From a viewership standpoint, y’all kicked our a–,” James said.
The NBA did have a great day, averaging 5.2 million viewers across their five games on Christmas, the most on the holiday in five years, but the NFL dominated those numbers.
Netflix averaged 24.2 million viewers between their two NFL games on Christmas.
James said having Beyoncé perform during halftime helped the NFL have a good day, despite the non-competitive games.
LEBRON JAMES TROLLED FOR SAYING CHRISTMAS BELONGS TO NBA AFTER NFL VIEWERSHIP IS REVEALED
Beyoncé on a scaffold during halftime of the game between the Houston Texans and the Baltimore Ravens, Dec. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
“You know, the games weren’t as great as they should have been, but when you have f—— Beyoncé come out there. (Patrick) Mahomes and Travis (Kelce) and you guys go there, and kick Pittsburgh’s a–, and you know Beyoncé comes out there,” James said.
The Lakers’ superstar made the analogy between the NBA and the NFL like a little brother and a big brother fighting.
“But I had, you know, 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 here, we stand 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 while laughing.
With Christmas falling on a Thursday next year, there is a chance the NFL has more than two games during the day as they continue to compete with the NBA for ratings on the holiday.
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Lakers forward LeBron James smiles after scoring against the Denver Nuggets, March 2, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
James’ Lakers are 20-17 this season, and despite just turning 40 years old, James has been productive this season.
James has 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 at 10 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
Fox News’ Ryan Morik contributed to this report.
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