LeBron James comments on playing in his 20th Christmas game: 'I'd much rather be at home with my family'

LeBron offered a blunt assessment of his excitement level for another Christmas game

The Los Angeles Lakers will host the Houston Rockets in the penultimate game on the NBA's Christmas Day slate in a battle between the No. 4 and No. 6 seeds in the hotly contested Western Conference playoff race. For LeBron James, it will be his 20th time playing on Christmas Day, as part of the deal for being the face of the league is playing on its marquee day. 

James long embraced his place atop the NBA's hierarchy and everything that comes with it, but the 40-year-old no longer shares the same excitement about carrying the league's torch on Christmas. 

When asked what it means to play in his 20th Christmas game, James gave an honest answer about understanding the importance while personally preferring to have that day off.

"I'd much rather be at home with my family," James said. "But I mean, it's the game, it's the game I love. It's the 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 honor to play it. Obviously, I'm gonna be completely honest, I would like to be home on the couch with my family all throughout the day. But my number is called -- our number is called, so we have to go out and perform and I look forward to it."

It's not the first time James noted his preference to have Christmas off, and at least this time the Lakers play at home. That said, given the constant question of how much longer James will play, every answer like this raises eyebrows.

James highlighted recently that he watches more golf than basketball now, offering another hint that his insatiable appetite for hoops that has driven his 23-year career is finally starting to fade. As he gets set to turn 41 on Dec. 30, it's fair to wonder how much longer he can go.