Ex-Kobe Bryant teammate makes major claim about LeBron James after Lakers star's NFL callout on Christmas

On Dec. 25, LeBron James called out an entire professional sports league. Perhaps he was making a playful jab, or his competitive juices were still in overdrive after the LA Lakers's 115-113 clutch victory over the Golden State Warriors.

Either way, James went ahead and said this at the end of his post-game interview with ESPN's Lisa Salters (1:28 onwards):

"I love the NFL, but Christmas is our day," a pumped James said as he looked straight into the camera.

While this comment certainly begged for a response from the NFL, a former NBA player responded to King James.

Kwame Brown, a Laker of yesteryear who used to play with the late Kobe Bryant, not only claimed that LBJ was wrong but essentially said that James was bad for the NBA:

"I heard LeBron say Christmas belongs to the NBA. Not no damn more," Brown said with a smirk. "The numbers don't bear out what you're saying, sir."

The former Lakers center does have a point here. When Netflix sent out a press release on the viewership of the NFL's Christmas Day games, it reported an estimated 65 million viewers drawn, as per Nielsen. Meanwhile, the NBA announced that its five-game slate on Dec. 25 averaged 5.2 million viewers.

Not content with refuting James's claim, Brown — the no. 1 pick of the 2001 NBA Draft who averaged 6.6 points in 12 seasons — spoke about The King's supposed negative impact on the league:

"I believe LeBron James is gonna leave the game worse than he found it," argued Brown. "They [the NBA] moved these rules, so his skill set could work. They got rid of the power forward...so he could have a wide open lane."

Kwame Brown's claim regarding the NBA's alleged rule changes in favor of James has not been elaborated upon. While King James isn't likely to respond to Brown's opinions, netizens will have all of 2025 to either side with him or pick apart his comments.

LeBron James on LA wildfires: "I pray this nightmare ends soon"

In the meantime, LeBron James has some more significant things weighing on his mind. For one, his adopted home of Los Angeles is currently dealing with raging wildfires that began last week.

As an estimated 153,000 LA residents had to evacuate and property damages amounted to billions of dollars, LBJ sent out this heartfelt Tweet:

"I pray this nightmare ends soon!" James said on Saturday. "So many prayers."

James's expression of support for LA residents — and his lack of response to Brown's comments — tells NBA fans where his headspace is.