'NBA owns Christmas' LeBron James backtracks on comment after NFL's dominance: "I saw the f***ing numbers"

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James conceded that the NBA no longer "owns Christmas" after a recent head-to-head competition between the two leagues three weeks ago.

While appearing on 'New Heights' with Super Bowl-winning tight end Travis Kelce and recently retired center Jason Kelce, James - who previously made a statement on Christmas Day - admitted that the NFL had superior ratings over the holiday period.

"I saw the f***ing numbers after the fact. You guys kicked our a*, alright? From a viewership standpoint, y'all kicked our a**!"

A Netflix press release published that over 65 million viewers tuned in for the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens vs. Houston Texans games. Per the release, a Nielsen study claimed the matchups were the "most-streamed NFL games in US history."

However, King James felt the game was not as competitive as it should have been.

"The games weren't as great as they should have been. Pat Mahomes and Travis, you guys go there. They kick Pittsburgh's a**."

James also felt his duty was to 'stand up for the NBA.'

"When you go out there, you got your little brother and he might get beat up one time. You like, hey, we didn't lose that fight. That's how I felt. I had to stand up. I had to stand up for the NBA."

The time when LeBron James came close to joining the NFL

While on the podcast, LeBron James also admitted that he considered joining the NFL in 2011. He referenced the 2011 NBA lockout as a push factor but ultimately did not go through with it.

“I didn't know when we were going to make the deal with the owners and get our league back going," James said. "So I actually thought about it a little bit back then. I was still young enough, you know, to get out there with y'all. But, you know, that's the only time I've actually seriously considered it.”

NBA and NFL's traditional Christmas Day schedule

A slate of marquee NBA games on Christmas Day has been a long-standing annual tradition. At least five NBA games have been played on the day since 2008, with one featuring the defending champions. For a brief period in the 2010s, the NBA also featured special jerseys for those games.

This season's games included the Philadelphia 76ers defeating the defending champions Boston Celtics, LeBron James's Lakers beating the Golden State Warriors and the Minnesota Timberwolves trumping last year's Western Conference Finalists Dallas Mavericks.

Historically, the NFL has emphasized Christmas Day games if they fell on a Sunday or Monday. This year was the first time in history that the league scheduled two regular season games despite Dec. 25 falling on a Wednesday. It was part of a new agreement with streaming partner Netflix.