“The Absolute Greatest!”: LeBron James Proclaims 2016 Christmas Game Against Kevin Durant and the Warriors the Best Ever

LeBron James is one of the greatest players to step foot on a basketball floor. The man was drafted in 2003, when he was just 18 years old. He took on the league by storm and made his mark. It’s 2022, he’s 37, and is still dominating the league.

In his 19 years so far, James has played in 16 Christmas Games. That was tied with Kobe Bryant for the most. If he plays tomorrow night against Luka Doncic and the Mavericks, he’ll make an NBA record with 17 Christmas Day games.

As Christmas approaches, many fans have started to look back at previous Xmas Day games, and started debating about which one is the best. Safe to say, LeBron James has a favorite pick from all his 16 games so far.

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LeBron James claims matchup against Kevin Durant and the Warriors was the best

In 2016, the Cleveland Cavaliers overcame a 3-1 deficit in the Finals against Stephen Curry and the Warriors to win their first championship. This led to the Dubs going after Kevin Durant and signing him in free agency. The first matchup between the two teams since the Finals was the 2016 Christmas Game, and it did not disappoint.

A neck-to-neck battle that was once again decided by a Kyrie Irving dagger. KD dropped 36 points, Klay Thompson had 24, whereas LBJ had 31 points and Kyrie had 25 as the Cavs took home the win, 109-108.

It certainly was a game to be remembered, and James feels the same way. A Twitter user claimed the 2016 Christmas Game was the greatest, and LBJ heartily agreed. He shared it on his Instagram story with the caption, “The Absolute Greatest!!!” 

Agree with LeBron James here? Which Christmas day game do you think can beat the 2016 #Warriors vs. #Cavs showdown? pic.twitter.com/WuhreS67lc

— Kit Guinhawa (@BeatKit22) December 25, 2022

While LeBron feels excited about Xmas games right now, there was a time when his opinion was completely the opposite.

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LBJ spoke against playing on Christmas Days in 2010

Back in 2010, LBJ had two small kids. Bronny was 6 years old, and Bryce was just 3. One could understand why he did not want to leave his tiny kids on Xmas day, and go prepare for a game and play. The Heat were heading to Los Angeles to face the Lakers. LBJ spoke highly against it and said,

“If you ask any player in the league, we’d rather be home with our families. I think the people that even set the games up would rather be home with their family during this day. It’s not just a regular holiday. It’s definitely one of those days that you wish you could wake up in the morning with the kids and open up presents.”

Since then, his views have changed, and we can clearly see he’s excited for tomorrow’s matchup against Luka Doncic and the Mavericks.

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