LeBron James on Wednesday unwrapped a message for the NFL as the league continues its push to schedule games on Christmas Day, a holiday that sports fans typically associate with NBA games.
“I love the NFL, I love the NFL but Christmas is our day,” James told ESPN’s Lisa Salters as he pointed to the court then darted to the locker room after the Los Angeles Lakers’ thrilling 115-113 win over the Golden State Warriors.
The NFL, which has played a game on Christmas Day since 2020, struck a deal with Netflix this year for the streaming giant to exclusively broadcast at least one of its contests on the holiday through 2026.
Netflix reportedly paid roughly $150 million (about $75 a game) to the NFL to air this year’s doubleheader, which included a pre-taped, pregame performance of Mariah Carey singing “All I Want For Christmas Is You” and Beyoncé’s halftime show during the Baltimore Ravens’ dominant win over the Houston Texans.
The NBA has played its games on Christmas Day since the league’s second season in 1947 and at least one contest has featured the defending NBA champions since 1995.
Wednesday’s Lakers-Warriors game featured stellar performances by superstars James and Warriors point guard Stephen Curry, iconiccalls from NBA commentator Mike Breen and Curry’s game-tying 3-pointer with 6.3 seconds left in the game.
Lakers shooting guard Austin Reaves would later be a Grinch for Golden State fans as he banked in a game-winning layup with just one second remaining.
He became just the 10th player in league history to have a triple-double in a game on Christmas Day.
James, who was asked about his history of on-court battles with Curry after the game, pointed to the Warriors star recently declaring that it’s OK to accept that the “end is near” for his career because it allows him an opportunity to “enjoy what’s happening right now.”
“And for us, we don’t know how many times we’re going to be able to have this matchup, we don’t know how many times we’re going to be able to step on the floor,” said James, who is celebrating his 40th birthday on Monday.
“But when we do, we try to give them – give [them] a game they deserve…”