LeBron James is nicknamed The King. He even refers to himself as such.
But he will soon be dubbed the King of Christmas as he suited up for his 16th Christmas Day game, tying all-time leader Kobe Bryant, who played 16 times on Christmas during his 20-year career.
That's not the only Christmas Day record of Bryant's that James chased down when the Los Angeles Lakers hosted the COVID-riddled Brooklyn Nets on Saturday.
James entered Saturday only 13 points away from passing Bryant to become the all-time leading scorer on Christmas Day. James overtook Bryant's all-time record of 395 Christmas Day points during the second quarter. James also needed just two field goals to pass Bryant's 137 for the most-ever on Christmas Day, a feat he also accomplished by halftime thanks to a strong 7-for-11 showing from the field. James had 22 points at the break Saturday.
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Although James has previously expressed disdain toward being away from his family on Christmas Day, his stance toward the holidays has eased over the seasons. Last year, he said he was so excited for the Lakers' Christmas Day matchup against the Dallas Mavericks that it "might be hard for me to sleep" and he shared similar sentiments on Christmas Eve.
James has won 10 games on Christmas Day, tied with Dwyane Wade for the most in NBA history.
That's no easy feat leading the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers against the likes of Tracy McGrady (2003), Wade (2007, 2014), Bryant (2009-2010), Dirk Nowitzki (2011) Kevin Durant (2012, 2016, 2017), Stephen Curry (2015, 2016) and Kawhi Leonard (2019) over the years.
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The Lakers-Nets matchup was poised to be a showdown between James and Kevin Durant, who are both tied for the most 3-pointers made on Christmas Day with 25 each. But Durant did not play Saturday after entering the NBA's health and safety protocols earlier this week amid a surge of COVID-19 cases across the league.
The Lakers have also been battling personnel issues. Anthony Davis was ruled out for at least four weeks after he suffered a sprained MCL in his left knee on Friday.
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