Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James took a moment yesterday to seemingly throw some shade at the NFL and seemingly defend the NBA’s claim to sports on Christmas Day.

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In a postgame interview following the Lakers’ narrow 115-113 win over the Golden State Warriors, James briefly mentioned Steph Curry’s recent retirement comments and then, after a pause, abruptly and unprompted addressed the NFL.

“I love the NFL. I love the NFL. But Christmas is our day,” James said.

In 2022, the NFL made headlines by scheduling three games on Christmas Day because the holiday fell on a Monday – a day the league typically reserves for games.

At the time, NFL officials said they would not schedule Christmas games if the holiday fell on a day outside of their usual schedule, such as Tuesday or Wednesday.

However, the league has changed its tune after seeing high TV ratings for Christmas Day games last year, where the NFL significantly outperformed the NBA. Now the NFL admits it will play on Christmas every year, regardless of what day it falls on, solidifying its position as the dominant Christmas Day sport.

“We saw the opportunity with Thanksgiving and some of the viewership we continued to build there,” said Hans Schroeder, the NFL’s executive vice president of media sales. “We believe there is a chance, if the calendar allows it now, even at Christmas when we know our fans will be together.”

This year, the NFL scheduled two games for Christmas that were also streamed on Netflix, further expanding the league’s reach.

With ratings yet to be officially released, it remains to be seen whether the NFL can continue to surpass the NBA in Christmas Day viewership.

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The NBA now hosted five top games, featuring some of the league’s biggest stars.

The highlight of the day was the game between LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers against Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors. James, 39, led the Lakers with 31 points, 4 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 steals and 1 block, while Curry had 38 points and 6 assists.

Despite the star power and an exciting back-and-forth game, the NBA couldn’t quite match the novelty of the NFL’s Christmas games, which included a live-streamed halftime show from Beyoncé.

It remains to be seen whether the NFL can gain traction on Christmas as a sports day, but it sounds like James might not be so happy about it.

For more information about the NFL, see Newsweek Sports.