LeBron James has spoken out to reveal how he really feels about playing an NBA match on Christmas Day.
In just a few days time, sports fans across the world will be sitting down to exchange presents with loved ones and dig in to a lovely Christmas dinner.
Across the UK, all sports take a break on Christmas Day to allow professional athletes to enjoy some time off ahead of what is otherwise typically a busy festive period.
But that won't be the case for basketball stars playing in the NBA, as six teams are set to complete fixtures on Christmas Day.
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And ahead of their festive match, Los Angeles Lakers star James has spoken about his opinions about playing matches on Christmas Day in a brutally honest interview.
In the early hours of December 26, the Los Angeles Lakers will host Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets in their second match within a 48 hour period.
Of course, in Los Angeles, the match will start at 17:00 the previous day, meaning players from both teams will be competing right in the middle of Christmas Day.
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For Lakers star James, it marks the 20th time that he will be playing a match on December 25, extending his NBA record of most Christmas Day games in the organisation's history.
When asked how he felt about playing on what is typically a day spent celebrating, James admitted
“I'd much rather be at home with my family," James confessed
"But I mean, it's the game. It's the game that I love. It's a game I watched when I was a kid on Christmas Day, watching a lot of the greatest play the game on Christmas. It's always been an honour to play it.
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"Obviously, I'm gonna be completely honest, I would like to be home on the couch with my family all throughout the day. But our number is called, so we have to go out and perform and I look forward to it.”
Although he has admitted he would rather be with his family, James has been a stapled of Christmas Day sports in his career, playing nearly every year since his rookie season, with his only absence being the holiday game in 2006.
Throughout his 19 Christmas Day appearances so far, he holds the NBA record for most victories (11-8), Christmas Day points (507), steals (32) and field goals made (180).
Topics: Lebron James, NBA, Basketball
Ben McCrum