One thing that is undeniable about Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is that no one in the history of the league has been able to play at this high of a level this deep into his career. That was on display once again on Christmas Day as LeBron poured in a game-high 38 points to go along with six rebounds and five assists.
Unfortunately, James’ performance wasn’t enough to get the Lakers back in the win column as an awful third quarter doomed them against the Dallas Mavericks. The loss stings just a little bit more as the Lakers were away from their families on Christmas, but were still unable to get the victory to make it worthwhile.
Prior to the game, however, James made sure to send a special message back to his family at home as he was mic’d up during the Lakers’ game in Dallas against the Mavericks, via the NBA’s official Twitter page:
An #NBAXmas message from the 👑♥️
Lakers-Mavs is live now on ABC and ESPN! pic.twitter.com/wVpSlQ7Iql
— NBA (@NBA) December 25, 2022
Afterward, LeBron would also speak about the difficulties of being away from his family for so many Christmas’ but remains grateful that he is able to play the game he loves, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“The unfortunate part is that the family has kinda got used to me being away on Christmas, which is the unfortunate part. I don’t know what the ratio of road games to home games, you could look that up for me and tell me, but I know for sure I’ve been on the road a lot more on Christmas than I’ve been at home. The fortunate part is I get to play the game that I love on Christmas. If I gotta do anything else when I’m away from my family, I get to play the game that I love to play.
“Playing on this stage, on one of the best days that we have in our league. It’s like opening night, Christmas Day games, you got All-Star Weekend, you got the finals and playoffs and things like that. It’s an honor for me to be able to still be playing at the level I’m playing at and still be able to play on Christmas in front of the fans that love our game.”
These are the unfortunate sacrifices that a superstar like James has to undertake for his career, but he understands that this is part of the job. Many seasons the Lakers are able to remain home on Christmas, but that simply wasn’t the case this season.
The fact that LeBron has been able to suit up on Christmas Day so many different seasons is a testament to his greatness and the Lakers star is undoubtedly grateful that he remains a fixture for one of the biggest days on the NBA calendar.
LeBron James passes Kobe Bryant for most games played on Christmas Day
James taking the court for the Lakers against the Mavericks marked the 17th time he has suited up on Christmas Day. And he now sits alone at the top of the list for most games played on the day, surpassing Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.
The Lakers remain the NBA’s marquee franchise and whether they are a true championship contender or not, continue to be featured on Christmas, giving the team the biggest stage year after year.
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