LeBron James Admits NFL Defeated NBA On Christmas Day, Thanks Beyoncé!

LeBron James is waving the white flag in the battle for Christmas Day ... admitting the NFL whooped the NBA's ass in the ratings department -- but claiming Beyoncé played a huge role in the L.

The King chopped it up with Jason and Travis Kelce on the newest episode of their "New Heights" podcast this week ... and at one point in the convo, they asked LeBron about his famous deceleration following the Lakers' 115-113 victory against the Warriors -- in which he stated Dec. 25 belonged to Adam Silver's organization.

Unfortunately for James, the viewership numbers didn't back his claim -- as the NFL drew in 65 million U.S. viewers for its two games ... which was much more than the NBA got for its five games throughout the holiday.

Bron ate his words on the show ... while also pointing out how the NFL had help from some of the biggest names in sports and entertainment.

"I saw the f***ing numbers after the fact," James said. "You guys kicked our ass, OK? From a viewership standpoint, you kicked our ass. The games weren't as great as they should have been, but when you have f***ing Beyoncé come out there, Pat Mahomes and Travis, and you guys go there and kick Pittsburgh's ass."

He compared his league to being the little brother in the situation ... and naturally, "I had to stand up for the NBA."

Beyond ratings, Travis wanted to know if the four-time NBA champion was always a Nike guy. To the brothers' surprise, James revealed that Reebok was the best meeting he had when figuring out which contract he wanted to sign before he ultimately went with the Swoosh ahead of his rookie season in 2003.

He said Reebok offered him a $10 million check -- but the catch?? He couldn't talk to any other companies.

"My mom looked at me," he said. "She said, 'Trust your gut, if they're offering you this, then who knows what the other companies may offer you.'"