Lakers’ LeBron James Defends NBA Tradition: I Love the NFL, But Christmas Is Our Day

LeBron James believes the Wednesday night thriller between the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors proved basketball still beats out football as the top Christmas Day sport.

“I love the NFL, I love the NFL. But Christmas is our day,” James said after the Lakers’ 115-113 win.

Austin Reaves drove in for a layup with 1.1 seconds left in a tied game to seal the Lakers’ holiday victory over Steph Curry and the Warriors.

Curry had previously hit two three-pointers in the final 13 seconds of regulation to tie the score.

Curry led the Warriors with 38 points while going 8-for-15 from behind the arc.

James, who was stepping up for an injured Anthony Davis, meanwhile paced the Lakers with 31 points while adding 10 assists in the victory.

The Lakers win, which marked the fourth time Curry and James have faced off on Dec. 25, wasn’t the only close decision featured by the NBA on its banner holiday.

The New York Knicks closed out a tight win over the San Antonio Spurs despite a 42-spot from Victor Wembanyama earlier on Wednesday, while the Philadelphia 76ers upset the reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics.

Those games were competing for viewers against an early afternoon tilt between the Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers followed by an evening game between the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans. Both of the football games ended in blowouts.

The NFL began committing to Dec. 25 as a regular game day in 2020 and has now hosted multiple games on the holiday for four straight seasons.

It looks like James is hoping the NBA’s slate of close contests, capped off by a vintage battle between two of the league’s veteran stars, will help the league cement its hold on the Christmas Day schedule despite the NFL’s ongoing push to take over the holiday.