NEW YORK – The NBA delivered its most-watched Christmas Day in five years, averaging 5.25 million viewers per game in the U.S. across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, Disney+ and ESPN+, according to Nielsen Fast Nationals. Viewership was up 84% vs. last year.

There was one good thing to come out of the subpar Wednesday football we got on Christmas. Lamar Jackson cemented his status as the best rushing QB ever. The Ravens quarterback broke Michael Vick’s all-time rushing record for quarterbacks (6,109) after his 87-yard rushing performance against the Texans.

The NBA has long dominated Christmas, just as Thanksgiving has become synonymous with football, but viewers got the best of both worlds on Wednesday.

Recently, the National Football League decided to go head-to-head with the National Basketball Association on Christmas Day. It's become a sports turf war of sorts.

The NBA on Christmas is a tradition that goes back to 1947, the league's second season. In fact, since 1947, there has only been one season when the NBA has not played at least one game on a Christmas: the 1998-99 season, which began in February because of a lockout.

The NBA’s lineup saw an 84 percent rise over 2023. The NFL’s Christmas numbers decreased from last season, but not at the rate that usually happens when something goes from broadcast to streaming.

The battle for Christmas is on between the NFL and the NBA after both leagues released viewership numbers for the Christmas Day slate of games on Thursday.

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After the Los Angeles Lakers' holiday victory against the Golden State Warriors, James confidently declared to the camera: 'I love the NFL. But Christmas is our day.'