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“Fan of the Game” LeBron James Abandons Christmas Festivities to Watch NFL Legend in Battle

Published 12/24/2023, 11:29 PM EST

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USA Today via Reuters

We know athletes for being very set in their ways. Be it a pre-game ritual they follow, a post-game handshake with their teammates, or certain holiday traditions, we rarely see them deviate from their decided activity. And LeBron James’ Christmas Eve tradition is something that he indulges in off the court. 

As the player with the most Christmas Day games in NBA history, LeBron James is almost always assured a day off on the 24th, and this year, he decided to engage in a few back-and-forth rounds of friendly banter with a friend of his online.

LeBron James and his Christmas tradition

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LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are one of the few teams that will be suiting up for the Christmas Day game. The Lakers will be taking part in one of the most epic matchups that have happened in the history of the NBA. The Lakers will be facing the Boston Celtics and this is a game that many fans would have their eyes glued to. But before such games, James had his ways of loosening up to perform at a high level.

This time, instead of listening to music or reading a book, James decided to throw down with NFL legend Dez Bryant on Madden. James and Bryant shared a hilarious series of jabs on X.

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The interaction started when Dez Bryant went on X to announce back in November, ..@KingJames just smacked me in madden twice! OMG I NEED MY FADE BACK ASAP!” James could not help but bask in the glory of his victory and leave laughing emojis underneath this post.

James and Bryant started playing together around Thanksgiving last month. But now, James was more interested in watching Bryant play Madden instead. This led the NFL legend to tweet, “Quit scouting, @KingJames.”  

This prompted a hilarious response from LBJ who replied with, “I’m just watching as a fan of the game.”

LBJ’s love for football

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LeBron James’ love for football is no hidden secret. We can see James sitting in attendance watching big NFL games now and then. He was one of the many NBA players who went to watch the Super Bowl.

James was also a very highly-ranked High School football prospect before he decided to make the switch to basketball, so it is safe to assume some of his love for the game stems from when he used to play.

USA Today via Reuters

James feels invested in the games he watches at home as well, constantly speaking his mind on X with a series of tweets. So, it would be natural for LBJ to indulge in a little Madden apart from playing 2k and emulating himself in a video game.

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Written by:

Abhishek Dhariwal

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One take at a time

“Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Until your good is better and your better is best” - Tim Duncan said this once, and I took it as a sign to keep working on myself, without fail! Being a basketball player all my life, it was natural for me to eventually become an NBA writer at EssentiallySports.
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Edited by:

Sameen Nawathe