Well the king has spoken on Christmas when it comes to NBA vs the NFL, that is. What are we going on about?
Well, LeBron James has a message for the NFL: Christmas Day belongs to the NBA. After the Los Angeles Lakers’ thrilling 115-113 win over the Golden State Warriors, James made his stance clear, reinforcing the tradition of basketball on Christmas despite the growing competition from the NFL.
“I love the NFL, I love the NFL. But Christmas is our day,” James declared after a dramatic finish that saw Austin Reaves sink a layup with just 1.1 seconds left, clinching the Lakers’ victory.
The game itself was a rollercoaster, with Warriors star Stephen Curry hitting two clutch three-pointers in the final 13 seconds of regulation to tie the game, ultimately leading to a buzzer-beating win for the Lakers. Curry finished with a scorching 38 points, including 8-for-15 from beyond the arc, while James, stepping up in place of the injured Anthony Davis, led his team with 31 points and 10 assists.
Ge this, this holiday thriller was just one of several exciting NBA matchups on Christmas Day. Earlier, the New York Knicks edged out the San Antonio Spurs despite a 42-point performance by Victor Wembanyama, while the Philadelphia 76ers shocked the reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics with an upset victory.
Although filled with drama and star power, these games were competing for viewers against NFL games that aired on the same day. The NFL, which began airing regular Christmas Day games in 2020, had a couple of holiday blowouts—an early afternoon contest between the Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers, followed by an evening game between the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans. While these matchups were lopsided, the NBA’s slate of close, high-intensity games helped reinforce the league’s place on the holiday schedule.
The NFL’s Christmas Day presence is part of a larger strategy to make the holiday a regular fixture for the sport, with multiple games airing on the day for four consecutive seasons now. But James is intent on preserving the NBA’s dominance of Christmas basketball, a tradition that has been synonymous with the holiday for decades.
Unless you hate sports, you may now now for years, the NBA has built its Christmas Day schedule around marquee matchups, drawing viewers with star-studded teams and high-stakes games. James’ showdown with Curry on December 25th marked the fourth time the two legends have faced off on Christmas, making it a must-watch for fans of the game.
Back on the ranch, the NFL continues to push for its share of the Christmas spotlight, James and the NBA seem confident that their combination of thrilling matchups and the festive holiday tradition will keep basketball at the forefront of Christmas Day sports programming for years to come. The battle for dominance on Christmas is far from over, but for now, LeBron believes the NBA is firmly in control.
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