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Retired NFL Star Jason Kelce Issues 'Warning' To NBA

Originally posted on The Spun | By Tzvi Machlin | Last updated May 22, 2025 5:11 PM ET

For ages the NBA had a stranglehold on Christmas Day sports. But with the NFL introducing games on Christmas Day over the last few years and primed to add more in the future, former NFL star Jason Kelce has a warning for the basketball league.

On the latest episode of his New Heights podcast with his brother Travis Kelce, Jason declared that football is taking over Christmas. He said that whenever the games are on during Christmas, he'll have them on in his household.

Kelce then warned that the NBA is never getting Christmas back. He believes that the NFL has taken it and "that's the way it is."

“I’m a fan of playing on more primetime times,” Kelce said. “That’s when I’m watching TV and I like it when football is on television, so let’s keep putting good football games on television when everybody’s watching. Let’s keep taking over all the holidays. We’re taking over Thanksgiving, Christmas. NBA, you’re (expletive). You’re never getting that back. I mean, that’s the way it is.”

Kelce is probably right, whether NFL and NBA fans like it or not. It doesn't seem to matter what day of the week, time or even streaming service that the league puts games on. Even the least-watched games on the entire calendar tend to do better than some of the biggest games in nearly every other sport when it's broadcast nationally.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver doesn't seem all that keen on fighting the NFL as they move in on his domain. He's previously said that there's "nothing wrong with competition" and doesn't feel that the NBA owns Christmas anyway.

“There’s nothing wrong with competition,” Silver said in the past. “We don’t own Christmas, even though we’ve been playing on Christmas Day for 75 years in our league. So there’s this huge tradition of playing on Christmas Day…But I think competition keeps you on your toes. The NFL sees an opportunity on Christmas. I accept that.”

Even if Silver was determined to put up a fight though, it's doubtful that he'd make any headway. He could move the NBA Finals to any day on the NFL calendar and his product would still get obliterated by whatever the NFL does.

The NFL is, to put it simply, the king.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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