LeBron James was mocked for saying Christmas belongs to the NBA after NFL viewership numbers were revealed.

The NFL used to do everything possible to avoid Christmas.

The league is now scheduling games on Wednesday to go into the holiday period.

Christmas used to be known as the unofficial start to the NBA season. The season actually started two months ago. With classic pairing

There are five NBA games throughout the day on Wednesday, while two NFL games begin.

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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) dribbles the ball towards Golden State Warriors defender Stephen Curry (30) during the quarter. First at Chase Center (Darren Yamashita/Image Image)

After the night of Christmas thriller Lakers-Warriors LeBron James makes bold claim as NBA ratings plummet and NFL is as popular as ever

“I love the NFL, but Christmas is our day,” he said.

The numbers say otherwise.

It should be noted that the NBA had a great day by its standards. It averaged 5.2 million viewers on Wednesday. This is the biggest holiday period in five years.

The game where James meets Stephen Curry and the Warriors averaged 7.7 million viewers, peaking at 8.3 million. The 10:30 p.m. ET game between the Suns and Nuggets was the biggest late-night show ever in viewers. 3.8 million people

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) dribbles at Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) during half. After Wednesday, December 1, September 25, 2024 in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Eakin Howard)

But the NFL still dominates. It averaged 24.2 million viewers for the Chiefs-Steelers and Texans-Ravens games. Both games are exploding on Netflix, though.

James was predictably mocked on social media.

NFL games will be played on five separate days in Week 17. When all is said and done, Thursday, Sunday, and Monday are typical game days. And Saturday’s game will be played late in the season.

Christmas Day falls on a Thursday next year, so perhaps the NFL will load up similar to the Thanksgiving tripleheader.

LeBron James, Los Angeles forward The Lakers gesture to teammates during the first half against the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena. (Photo John E. Sokolowski/Imagn)

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The NFL’s Christmas viewership numbers don’t match Thanksgiving numbers, while the NBA’s ratings improve after dropping earlier in the season.

But clearly the NFL is king, no matter the day.

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