Adam Silver's brutally honest view on NFL taking NBA's Christmas day spotlight

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver shared his thoughts on the NFL competing with the NBA on Christmas Day, a date reserved for basketball until Roger Goodell (NFL Commissioner) decided to schedule games for Dec. 25, starting last season.

During a conversation with Shaquille O'Neal's "The Big Podcast," Silver was asked by Adam Lefkoe how he felt seeing the NFL pushing games on a date that he considered was reserved for the association.

Adam Silver said that he was open to the competition and understood where the NFL came from with this idea.

"I think it's completely appropriate for them to compete in whatever fashion they think is best for their best interest. You're entitled to be annoyed. I just think we welcome the competition, I really believe that it's a rising tide for all sports, if you look at where major live sports now are on television, really any platform, because you're seeing it.

"Christmas Day, the competition in terms of the NFL was on Netflix, which only a year ago they were saying they weren't likely to go into the live sports business," Silver said.

Adam Silver added that the level of production from both his league and the NFL had taken to new heights, as the way the game was presented and the platforms that leagues in America used were on a different level, making things better for the fans.

NFL's Christmas Day games were superior to Adam Silver's NBA matchups

The two NFL games averaged 65 million viewers, which was so much more than the NBA, even though the association offered a five-game slated for this day. The association averaged 5.25 million viewers per game across ABC, ESPN and its platforms, much less than the people who watched the Chiefs, Steelers, Ravens and Texans.

The Kansas City Chiefs beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 29-10 and the Baltimore Ravens dominated the Houston Texans 31-2 on the special date.

As for Adam Silver's NBA, Victor Wembanyama put on a show against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

The Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Dallas Mavericks 105-99 before the Philadelphia 76ers upset the Boston Celtics 118-114. The LA Lakers and Golden State Warriors played the best game of the day, with the Purple and Gold taking the 115-113 win before the Phoenix Suns beat the Denver Nuggets 110-100.

Even LeBron James admitted that the NFL beat his league, but mentioned that having Beyoncé, Patrick Mahomes and other stars helped the NFL.