Charles Barkley didn’t hold back during Inside the NBA this week, and his target wasn’t a player, a coach, or even another analyst-it was the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell.
Barkley, never one to mince words, took direct aim at the league’s growing footprint on Christmas Day, a date long associated with marquee NBA matchups. With the NFL now airing three games on December 25-thanks to its partnerships with Netflix and Prime Video-it’s clear the league isn’t just dipping its toe into the holiday; it’s cannonballing in.
“It is tremendous because (the NBA) has five games. There’s nobody else playing,” Barkley said during the broadcast.
“The NFL got greedy and started adding Christmas games. We used to have this day to ourselves, but, you know, Roger Goodell and them pigs at the NFL always wanna hog every day of the week now… They’re on Saturday now, too, on Friday, too.”
Then came the punchline: “Christmas is an NBA day, and that is it. Stay in your lane, Roger.”
Now, Barkley’s frustration isn’t coming out of nowhere. For decades, Christmas Day has been a showcase for the NBA-a tradition built around high-profile matchups, star power, and a captive holiday audience. It’s a date that’s become synonymous with basketball, and for fans, it’s as much a part of the festivities as eggnog and gift wrap.
But the NFL, as it often does, saw an opportunity-and seized it.
From the league’s standpoint, the timing makes sense. Week 17 is crunch time.
Teams are jockeying for playoff spots, seeding is on the line, and the stakes are sky-high. For football fans, skipping a game-even on Christmas-isn’t really an option.
And with the league’s broadcast deals expanding into the streaming space, the NFL has found new platforms and new audiences hungry for content.
Netflix, for one, isn’t just testing the waters-it’s diving in headfirst. The streaming giant reportedly shelled out $150 million for a three-year deal to broadcast Christmas Day NFL games.
And so far, the investment is paying off. Last year, two games aired on the platform and reached audiences in 218 countries, setting viewership records in the process.
So while Barkley’s comments were loud, passionate, and likely echoed by plenty of NBA loyalists, they probably won’t move the needle for the NFL. The league isn’t just competing with the NBA-it’s encroaching on one of its most sacred traditions. And with the kind of money and global reach now involved, it’s hard to imagine the NFL backing off.
Still, Barkley’s stance taps into something real. For basketball fans, Christmas has always been about the NBA.
It’s the day when legends square off, rivalries reignite, and the league puts its best foot forward. The NFL may be winning the ratings war, but for many, the holiday still belongs to the hardwood.
Whether that sentiment holds in the years to come? That’s a battle still being fought-one broadcast deal at a time.