Sad Christmas anniversary for LeBron James in the NBA. The experienced basketball player could not avoid the defeat of his team, the Los Angeles Lakers, 96-119 against the Houston Rockets this December 25 at the Crypto.com Arena.
On an individual level it was a special date, since LeBron James increased his record as the player with the most Christmas games in NBA history to a total of 20.
The legacy began in 2003, when he was an 18-year-old rookie representing the Cleveland Cavaliers. Now, days away from turning 41 and with 23 seasons of experience in the NBA, he is the most emblematic player of the Christmas season.
It was even further removed from the 16 Christmas games that Kobe Bryant played and the 13 shared by players like Shaquille O’Neal, Dwayne Wade and Kevin Durant. The latter also participated in the 2025 matchday, only defending the Rockets.
LeBron James played 32 minutes and 26 seconds this Thursday, contributing 18 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 1 block.
In fact, his son, Bronny, also saw action against the Rockets, although he only played three minutes and nine seconds and barely contributed 3 points.
The defeat ruined the celebration of 20 games for ‘King’ James. In some videos after the game, he was seen leaving the court immediately and with his face completely distraught. He didn’t even say goodbye to Kevin Durant.
James is the king of statistics on NBA Christmas Day: he is the leader in games played (20), wins (11), points (525), rebounds (145), assists (142) and steals (30), among other statistics shared on the official site.
However, in 2025 he was far from the record that he himself set in 2021 with 39 points in the Lakers’ defeat (115-122) against the Nets.
For NBA specialists, this could have been LeBron James’ last Christmas game in the world’s top basketball league.
In a few days (December 30) he will turn 41 years old and, so far, he only has a contract for the 2025-26 season with the Lakers. Hermeticism permeates the possibility of renewing or announcing his retirement, leaving the way for his son Bronny.
If the farewell takes place, it will be difficult for someone in the short or medium term to replace him as the NBA’s top figure at Christmas.
On the other hand, the defeat left the Lakers in fifth place in the Western Conference with a 19-10 record, still behind the defending champions, Oklahoma City Thunder, and the San Antonio Spurs, Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Rockets, led by 26 points from Amen Thompson and 25 from Kevin Durant this Christmas, are in sixth place with a record of 18-10.
The NBA had five Christmas games in 2025. In addition to the Rockets’ victory over the Lakers, the New York Knicks beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 126-124, while the Spurs did the same 117-102 against the Thunder and the Golden State Warriors beat the Dallas Mavericks 126-116. The other crossover was between Nuggets and Timberwolves.
