Starting 5 (2024) s01e04 Episode Script

1
[reporter] Bronny James has been
fully cleared to play basketball
following his medical emergency
back in July.
Bronny, again, is the son
of NBA legend LeBron James.
[LeBron] You know, you never, ever,
in all the shit that you think about
that can happen wrong throughout life,
or whatever the case may be,
you never ever think about your kids.
It's just they're kids.
You don't ever think about anything
happening bad to your kids.
You're like, "I protect the kids.
They're protected."
They're young, great health.
You know, if anything is gonna happen,
it's gonna be us, our friends, or it's
You know, you don't never
think about your fucking kids.
And when something traumatic
like that happens, it's like,
"Oh shit,
things need to put in perspective."
I'm trying my best ♪
- [indistinct chatter]
- [ball bouncing]
[LeBron] Pass.
[boy] Hit it, hit it, hit it!
[man] I see him!
[indistinct chatter]
[Savannah] I just kind of got a video
in my head of, you know,
seemed like it was yesterday,
remembering him being three years old.
And every time he shoots, he scores,
and LeBron is, like, "He's special."
I said, "This boy is three years old."
[commentator] And what's Dad got to say?
"That's my boy."
[LeBron] It was a hard-ass few months.
Watching our son go through the things
that he were going through personally,
I mean, it affected
all of us, um, in our household.
Like, when you say,
"Family over everything," um,
it's like tomorrow isn't promised.
[LeBron] Shorty! Air ball!
You know, we almost lost Bronny
in the summertime.
He was training at practice at USC,
and, um, our son had, um,
a cardiac arrest.
[reporter] Bronny James, who is going
to be a freshman basketball player at USC,
suffered cardiac arrest.
[reporter 2] The high school All-American
was rushed to the hospital
and admitted to the ICU.
[reporter 3] We certainly wish
young James a speedy recovery.
[reporter 4] Bronny
is recovering this morning
after suffering cardiac arrest.
[Savannah] It was tough.
I think that we processed it differently.
Um
[choking up] I think,
at the end of the day,
it was just about us supporting each other
and just being super grateful
for the outcome.
[LeBron] Shout-out to the man above. One.
To the whole coaching staff,
training staff.
- You too.
- Members of that program.
- Thank you so much. Lifesaver, literally.
- Of course.
Literally. She, uh
This is Bronny's grandmother.
- [Erin] Hi! I'm Erin.
- Hi.
- Erin performed CPR on Bronny.
- Nice to meet you. Thank you so much.
[LeBron] They are the reason
Bronny is alive now and smiling
and thriving and doing
what any 19-year-old should be doing,
and that's living out their dream.
It's it's crazy with kids.
Like, when they love and want something
that's all that matters to them.
As a parent, you're like, you know,
"You had a cardiac arrest." Like
In his mind, he's like,
"Can I or can I not play ball again?"
And if the answer is yes,
"When can I play ball again?"
Like,
I love that.
Man, am I the greatest ♪
Bronny's the first person in my family
to go to college.
I don't Nobody in my family
ever went to college.
And to see my son
playing the game that he loves
at the collegiate level,
but to see where he is as a young man
you're like, "Wow, it could have been
you know,
so much more worse for our family."
[announcer] the visiting
Long Beach State.
[woman] Hey, LeBron!
[announcer] Say hello to the home team,
your University of Southern California
Trojans!
[LeBron] It was insane. I mean,
when he entered
the game for the first time,
the the crowd went crazy.
[commentator] And for the first time
this season,
four months
after suffering cardiac arrest,
Bronny James makes his collegiate debut.
[LeBron] Just being there as a parent,
to know what he's been through
and to see him get back on the floor,
I know he had to be nervous as hell
'cause I was nervous as hell.
Pass! The pass!
[Bronny] There were a lot of butterflies,
but that is to be expected.
Every game,
it pretty much feels the same way.
[commentator] Ellis Bronny, three.
Got it to go!
Bronny James, his first college bucket!
How good does that have to feel?
[Bronny] It felt good knowing
that they went out of their way
to come see my game.
Knowing that they're always there for me
is is a really special feeling.
[commentator] LeBron videoing his son
playing his first college hoops game.
Special moment for the James family.
Ah.
[LeBron] It's like
a family signature play.
[chuckles]
"Blocked by James."
[commentator 2] Curry back to Iguodala,
up for the layup!
Oh! Blocked by James!
[commentator 3] How many times have we
seen LeBron James chase down a play?
There you go.
[LeBron] People ask me about the block,
and, you know,
that first three that he made,
and some of the assists,
a couple of steals that he had,
but, like, every minute he ran,
every minute he jumped,
took a bump to his chest
It's just a lot of nerves for sure.
For me, the best play of the whole game
is when the game ended,
and he walked off on his own
in his own power.
[announcer] That's today's game
[LeBron] To see your kid
being able to thrive
and being able to live out his dream
is one thing.
But to see your kid go through adversity
and be able to overcome adversity
is another.
Because you gotta imagine, like,
the last time
he was on the basketball floor
doing anything live,
um,
he was taken out on a gurney
going to the hospital.
[wistful music playing]
[Savannah] Biggest area of change was
we always tell each other
we love each other,
we always give hugs and kisses,
but I think that
coming out of that,
that meant so much more.
And it just the intentionality of it.
Like, when I say it, like, I I mean it.
I need you to feel me.
When I give you a hug,
I hold on a little tighter.
[LeBron] As a father,
I think it changed me in the sense of
basketball doesn't matter.
Money doesn't matter.
Access doesn't matter.
Nothing fucking matters besides family.
Nothing matters besides family,
so that's that's what changed.
[bells jingling]
[Christmas music playing]
[reporter] The Celtics have
the best record in the NBA.
They're almost unbeatable at home.
They have made the most threes.
They have the best rebounding team
in the league,
and they have
the number one net rating on offense.
[chuckles] They don't do
a lot of things poorly.
[boy] Wait. Come over here.
[Tatum] The youngest player goes first.
Draw a card.
[woman] Who's the youngest player?
No.
- [boy] Yes.
- [woman] I am.
- No, I'm the youngest!
- No.
I'm yellow.
Is this you, Daddy?
- [woman] Which one you wanna be?
- I'm red.
[woman] Okay, well, Daddy can be blue.
- [Tatum] This year, I play on Christmas.
- [woman] That card here.
- I'm gonna beat you!
- [woman] Stop trying to hold it.
- [Tatum] Christmas Day is special.
- [woman] We'll leave Daddy.
This is my seventh year in the NBA, and
I've played on Christmas every single day.
[reporter] Merry Christmas.
Appreciate the time.
Merry Christmas to you too.
- [woman] Merry Christmas to you, Deuce.
- Yo, come on.
[man laughs]
Daddy!
[laughing]
[Shelburne] Playing on Christmas
means that your team is relevant.
That people wanna watch you.
'Cause the NBA, that's the first thing
they release, who's playing on Christmas.
[Santa] Ho ho!
[Santa]
- [whimsical chimes]
- [radio static]
[toy radio]
[toy 1] Yo, yo, yo, yo! Come on!
[Shelburne] We look forward to the
matchups, who's the face of the league.
- [man]
- [toy LeBron]
[toy 2] Woo-hoo!
Usually it's a Finals rematch,
but the NBA didn't do that this year.
They had Lakers-Celtics
on Christmas day in LA.
[gentle Christmas music playing]
It's always fun
when the Lakers play the Celtics.
It's the two teams who have 17 titles.
It's the two most storied teams.
This is a marquee matchup.
Boston-LA. You know, it's
Nothing needs to be said more than that.
[Tatum] Kobe Bryant was part
of my Christmas Day as a kid.
That's what you did. You hang out
with your family, open presents, eat,
and watch basketball all day.
[commentator] It's Christmas.
Come on. It's December 25th.
- As the two
- [Tatum] Celtics vs. Lakers.
All the history and tradition
between the two most winningest franchises
on Christmas Day.
Uh, prime-time game.
It's like, man, it really don't get
any much better than that.
[indistinct chatter]
[Tatum] It's hard to, you know,
have Christmas traditions.
We travel so much.
This is maybe my third year
playing on the road on Christmas.
This is my room.
And sometimes I put stuff in here.
[Tatum] Deuce, he understands.
He makes jokes about it.
"Oh, I know, you gotta go play basketball
so you can buy me all these nice things."
I send postcards home every road trip.
And every one has a note behind it.
[Tatum] Let him know where I'm at.
I have there. There. There.
There. There. There. There. There.
There. There. There. There. There. There.
[Tatum] We have, like,
this NBA map in his room.
Every time he goes to places, I think,
he gives me those cards,
and I hang them up.
So, I sit right here,
and my dad sits right here.
He'll be able to come
to the game on Christmas, so, um
very, very excited about that.
If you see that green line right there
- Do you see that?
- [interviewer] Mm-hmm.
That's as far as my dad's team goes.
["California Christmas" playing]
Welcome to my California Christmas ♪
Twinkling lights
On all the fake palm trees ♪
The only snow that falls ♪
Is the fake stuff at the mall ♪
Bathing suits and 85 degrees ♪
[commentator] We think we got a good one
here tonight in the Bay Area.
Boy, Boston's playing well,
tied for the best record in the NBA.
Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!
[commentator] Tatum coming off
a 23-point performance Sunday
against the Orlando Magic.
Bro. Holy shit.
You see that? I got help. I got help!
Ah shit!
[crowd cheers]
[whistle blows]
So grab a Christmas tree ♪
I'll meet you down the beach ♪
Plant your mistletoes in the sand
Right next to me ♪
[commentator] Seventeen threes attempted.
Jayson Tatum.
Another opportunity here,
Tatum driven off the line,
attacks the rack, hangs, and hits.
What a finish by Tatum!
California ♪
California ♪
Bah, bah ♪
[birds chirping]
[upbeat sing-along music playing]
[singer on TV vocalizing]
[Sabonis] I played on a Christmas game
my rookie year.
[commentator] Adams and Towns for the tip.
Nick Buchert throws the ball in the air.
Happy to be with you
on this Christmas holiday.
We were blessed with the Christmas game.
And it was definitely a great experience
to go through that.
[commentator] Here is Sabonis,
all the way to the rim!
Plus the foul!
[commentator 2] How about that
for the rookie out of Gonzaga?
[Sabonis] You know,
but that was my one experience.
[Shashana] Him playing on a holiday,
that's super important for him.
He, like, had Christmas games
when he was on OKC.
But not this season.
He doesn't get seen for everything
he's doing, which is hard for me.
It's almost expected, but, like, it's not,
because then nobody pays attention.
And I get it.
It's like "small market team." But is it?
Is it? Because he is so fucking good.
Sorry, I shouldn't curse.
Let me take that back.
[Shashana] Let's build the tent.
It's right there. Wanna unbox it for me?
I got him, like,
a sleeping bag and a tent.
What is this? This is B.
- A and A1.
- Okay. And A1
If we survive this
That sound good?
[both chuckle]
[Shashana chuckles]
[Shashana] He's so good, and he's
constantly breaking world records.
Like, every day, on the bottom
of the screen when I'm watching,
it's like,
"He broke this, and he broke that."
And I'm like, "See? He's amazing."
[Shashana] No,
I think that this was great.
[Shashana] Sometimes,
I'm very frustrated about it.
But that's why
I definitely try to make our lives
as special as possible.
Oh my goodness.
It's, like, actually magical.
And when it comes to the holidays,
I just want everything to kind of feel
festive and fun and special.
[Shashana] Tigey, where's Minnie?
Where did we put Minnie Mouse?
I can't find Minnie.
Let's see if Daddy can go on.
["Deck the Halls" playing]
[Shashana] When you know
you have this many days together,
you wanna maximize those days.
So no, we cannot go on a ski trip ever
until Domas retires,
so this is how we're gonna do it.
[Sabonis] No!
- Three. Whoo!
- [Shashana] Whoo!
- Go.
- Go.
- Whee!
- [Shashana giggles]
- Get on it. Get on it. Get on it.
- No.
[laughs]
- [Sabonis] Ready?
- [Shashana] Tigey, look at Mommy.
- [Sabonis] Look at Mommy.
- [Shashana] Look at Mommy. 1, 2, 3!
[Sabonis] Three!
- Tigey, I'm gonna make you a mini snowman.
- [Shashana] Wow!
- Go.
- Do you want me to throw it at Mommy?
[Sabonis and Shashana laugh]
[Sabonis] All right.
- [Shashana laughs]
- [Sabonis laughs] Tigey!
[pepper crunches]
["Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" playing]
[Butler] I'm in a giving mood today.
This is my daughter's tennis racket.
So I'm going to wrap.
You know what?
I might wrap my daughter's gift.
Well, they're my sneakers. They're my JB2.
I'm a professional.
You're looking over at me
like you have no trust in me whatsoever.
This is elite wrapping.
Everything's not a competition, people.
This is good though.
Rylee not gonna care.
Rylee loves me for me.
There, like that.
Ain't nobody finna be looking
'cause you can't see it.
[man] Are you struggling over there?
- [Butler] Shut up.
- [laughs]
[Butler] What's your problem?
Worry about your own shit.
That's not all right though?
Check that. Check that.
Come on!
Come on. Oh yeah! Yeah! Yeah!
Yup! Y'all see this?
[man] Damn. Did your best. Yeah.
I'm like that.
Y'all thought I was just good
at basketball and dominoes.
Nope. I'm good at being a dad.
This my favorite gift right here.
- [woman] She's gonna love that!
- Shining on they ass. Y'all see that?
[woman] That thin little wrist.
[Butler] Then we got
the Tiffany stamp one for my baby.
Y'all see that?
She finna be shining on y'all
at, like, four years old.
Rylee's gonna love it.
Wanna say I'm a good dad because
I haven't told Rylee that
there's no such thing as Santa Claus.
Even though I don't ever want her
to forget the fact
that Dada bought all of this shit.
Not some jolly individual
that's supposed to be breaking into homes,
but we'll get to that at a later date.
["Jingle Bells" playing]
[grunts]
Hang all the mistletoe ♪
I'm gonna get to know ♪
You better ♪
This Christmas ♪
And as we trim the tree ♪
How much fun it's gonna be ♪
Together ♪
This Christmas ♪
The fireside is blazing bright ♪
Whoa ♪
We're caroling ♪
Through the ♪
[Butler] Yeah, I'm pretty sure,
as a kid, I was excited
to look under the tree for Christmas.
[girl] More shoes?
I don't feel like shoes!
It's a watch! It's a watch! It's a watch!
For me ♪
Whoa ♪
Let the beat drop there!
[Butler] Now, I love to get
the opportunity to be around my people.
I'm fortunate enough
to be able to do that more often than not.
Whoa ♪
[squealing]
[babbling indistinctly]
Come on ♪
[Butler] Just to be able to, you know,
have that with my children
is special and will always be special.
To make this Christmas bright ♪
Yes, we will! ♪
Whoo!
I know what you're all thinking. Encore.
Encore.
[announcer] Miami, are you ready?
[commentator] Christmas Day basketball.
- [commentator 2] Gotta love it, Monica.
- [Monica] A dream.
[commentator 2] The fourth of five today
on ESPN and ABC. One more after this one.
It's been a year of discontinuity
for the Heat.
They're already without Jimmy Butler,
who's out with a calf strain.
[Butler] It is a privilege
to be able to play on Christmas.
Yes. Love that.
It doesn't happen often,
and I didn't get to play on Christmas Day,
which sucks.
But I I gotta take care of my body, man.
And one thing can lead to another,
and a small calf injury
could turn into something bigger.
Being out for a week,
or however long that this may take,
you're gonna have
to get back in basketball shape.
[sneakers squeaking]
Oh! Fire that shit.
Thank you. Bang.
Yes! Yes!
[Butler] But whenever I can go,
I promise I'm gonna get out there
and compete.
This is what I love to do.
[commentator] The Heat win it.
119-113.
[Butler] Whether I'm on the floor,
whether I'm off the floor,
I'm proud of my guys.
I can't wait to get back
and lead my guys to something special.
[commentator] Merry Christmas.
We say thanks for sharing with us
here in downtown Los Angeles.
You know,
two annual highlights of the schedule,
the renewal of the Celtics-Laker rivalry
and the Christmas Day game today.
They come gift-wrapped together.
[LeBron] Having an afternoon game,
so I gotta get up and start getting
my mind and body ready, whatever.
But growing up,
a typical Christmas morning would be
around like 5:36 a.m., you start to, like
you start getting fidgety.
[gentle music playing]
[LeBron] You start going around,
seeing if your mom is up.
You look outside.
You see if the sun is up yet,
how much snow is on the ground.
It's this smell in Ohio,
in the sense of you know it's Christmas.
You know it's December 25th.
We lived on the top of the building.
My mom would always
decorate our apartment.
She would put lights all around the walls,
and we had our little tree.
It was always very festive.
My mom made it feel like [chuckles]
like we were
the richest people in the world, for sure.
Like we was, like,
the Bezos' house, for sure.
[chuckles]
- [man] What you got over there, Bronny?
- [woman] Christmas morning 2023.
Here with the James family.
[LeBron] This Christmas,
it was just a lot of excitement.
And my mom
actually filmed the whole thing.
- [Zhuri squeals]
- What we got?
Christmas is fun.
So we usually are all up about 7:00 a.m.,
thanks to Zhuri Nova.
[LeBron] When Savannah and I
got downstairs around 7:30,
the first thing Zhuri said was,
"Finally!"
She saw the carrots was bitten off of
because the reindeers got to 'em,
and the cookie and the milk
was drank and bit off of
because Santa came and dropped
all the gifts off the night before.
You know them damn reindeers left
a damn mess on my floor. I tell you that.
Damn reindeer.
Messing up my floors.
[woman] He said the exact line.
[laughs] Did he?
[woman] Verbatim.
Did he?
- [woman] Yes, even with the "damn."
- See?
That's my bestie.
[laughs]
[LeBron's mom] I don't see any coal.
I said you was a good girl this year.
[LeBron] There's no greater feeling
as a kid than open up gifts.
No matter if it's, like, the gift
that you asked for from Santa
or it's a gift that your ass didn't want,
clothes.
Um [laughs]
[LeBron's mom] You asked for those,
didn't you?
[chuckles]
[LeBron] And it and it coming out.
[LeBron's mom] Bryce bringing 'em back.
He bringing 'em back.
[LeBron] You're not wearing
those goddamn jean shorts.
[LeBron's mom] I love it.
Dad, what we looking at over here?
A Tiffany bracelet that might be a little
bit, uh, made from indigo, but I love it.
[Savannah] Wow.
I love when, you know,
one of the kids open up a gift,
since I've been a parent.
"This is exactly what I wanted!"
[screams]
[LeBron's mom laughs]
It's exactly what I wanted!
[LeBron] Greatest present I ever got,
when I was three years old, my mom
got me a Little Tikes basketball hoop.
I had her put it up
to the highest it could be.
The feeling I had as a kid is a feeling
I've now passed on to my kids.
- [LeBron's mom]all out.
- [Zhuri] It's a guitar!
[LeBron] Oh yeah.
Oh, that's the outdoor guitar.
Christmas, it's, like,
everybody's favorite time of the year.
It's just a great feeling.
But also just being, you know,
with our entire family.
It's sometimes giving, and it's sometimes
- [LeBron's mom] Receiving?
- Getting.
[LeBron's mom] Okay, yeah. Absolutely.
[Zhuri] We're all together,
like, as a family
and, like, sharing what we got,
sharing what kind of presents
we got from Santa.
It's really fun.
All right. Last one.
[LeBron] To be around, like, loved ones,
to be around people
and seeing them smile and yell,
wrapping paper all over the damn place,
just hearing that excitement,
being able to give back because
you were given to so much as a kid,
it means everything to me.
[LeBron's mom] That's what we wanna hear
on Christmas morning.
[commentator] Christmas Day,
downtown Los Angeles,
our traditional NBA holiday extravaganza.
The Los Angeles Lakers
coming off a big win.
Remember they won
the In-Season Tournament.
LeBron continues to blaze
an historic trail
just days before his 39th birthday,
doing things no one his age
has ever been able to do.
But is carrying this roster
back to the Finals one of them?
[Montgomery] A player like LeBron James,
and you're talking about
teams that people want to see,
LeBron James's teams almost always
are playing on Christmas Day games.
Think about his Christmas rituals
or his Christmas routines.
I'm sure it looks
a lot different than ours.
His 20-plus years
have involved a game, work.
Our Christmas routines
involve watching him work.
- [man]for you at this point.
- [LeBron] Yep, it sure is.
The NBA blessed me this year.
Let me stay home.
It'll be twelve on the road, six at home,
if I had to guess.
I know it ain't more home than away.
That's for damn sure.
[Tatum] It is a little tough
playing on Christmas
when you're the road team.
I don't know, just something about
waking up in a hotel,
getting on a bus,
that makes it a little tough.
You know, not being able
to wake up with your family.
But, you know, Deuce,
my mom is gonna bring him,
and he'll be able to come to the game.
But Christmas morning,
get a phone call from my mom.
She was crying,
you know, saying that they don't know
if they're gonna make it.
Something was wrong with the plane.
She really wanted to be there.
She really wanted Deuce to be there.
So I was you know, I was upset,
but my mom was even more upset
that, you know,
she couldn't make it happen.
[woman] It was
a very stressful, emotional day.
I can't remember if it's 9, 10 o'clock.
We get to the airport,
and the plane won't start.
And so I was like, "Yeah, right.
Like, what are you talking about?"
The plane, it would not start.
And they were like,
"We've been trying all morning."
We called our assistant.
We started scrambling to see,
you know, is there a closer plane?
Is there another plane here in Boston
that we could switch with somebody?
We literally ran
from one plane to the other.
So I got on the plane not knowing
if we were gonna make it or not.
My mom they was on the plane.
They got to the plane.
The plane wouldn't cut on.
They had to, like,
fly to New York to get another plane.
[man] Thank you. Thank you.
- Merry Christmas, Jayson.
- [woman] Jayson!
- MVP of the league right there.
- Oh, thank you!
- [man 2] Nice!
- [man 3] Thank you, Jayson!
[Tatum] I miss my mom and my son.
You know, me and my mom super close.
She's my real, like, best friend.
I am true definition of a mama's boy.
The reason who I am,
and why I am the person I am today.
I'm trying not to cry right now.
[chuckles]
- But I'm I mean, I'm so happy.
- [reporter] A lot of emotions.
And I know this is special for you
because your mom, Brandy,
was one of the first people you hugged.
She raised you as a single mother,
did everything she could to put you
in the best situations possible.
What does this night mean to you and her?
We went through
the toughest of times together,
and, you know,
it just made our bond even stronger.
[Brandy] I had him on spring break
of my freshman year in college.
When you're young, you just
don't have any money and resources,
but you got all the energy.
Some of the things that we struggled with
were just, you know,
the basic necessities sometimes.
[Tatum] Christmas Day is always special.
Me and my mom laugh about it.
Didn't have a Christmas tree
when I was younger.
There weren't an abundance of gifts.
You know, my mom always made sure
I had something to open on Christmas.
Pair of basketball shoes
or a basketball jersey.
It always had something
to do with basketball,
and I was always grateful
and happy and thankful.
Now she's a grandmother.
And Deuce has three different
Christmas trees at our house,
and we have
all these Christmas decorations.
And it just makes me happy,
like, you know?
That we get to spend
that time together and, uh,
you know,
he gets to enjoy Christmas to the fullest.
[commentator] Boston Celtics,
Los Angeles Lakers, an NBA Christmas.
Merry Christmas!
Ha, ha!
Ah!
Uh-huh.
- Ooh! Merry Christmas!
- [laughs]
[commentator] Coming on to the court,
your Los Angeles Lakers!
There's Christmas Day games, and then
there's Celtics-Lakers on Christmas.
You know, the stars are gonna be out.
Other than playing in the Finals,
I don't know if there's a cooler game
to play in than on Christmas.
- [LeBron] Merry Christmas.
- Merry Christmas.
- All right.
- Where's Deuce?
- He gonna be at the game today.
- [LeBron] Yeah. All right. All right.
[commentator] It's always just different
when it's the Celtics and the Lakers.
Both Jayson Tatum and LeBron James
mic'd up for us here on Christmas Day.
[LeBron] Vando.
I want you in the corner. Elbow.
Hey, take it out.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. Okay.
Go get him. Go get him.
[commentator] James backs in,
left hand, lays it up, and in.
[LeBron] Bravo!
I traveled like a motherfucker.
By far, that's the worst
I've ever had in my
since I first started playing basketball.
AR, go! Go! AR!
Front, Red!
[commentator] Tatum against Reddish.
Backs in.
Boy, he is strong in the post.
[commentator 2] That is bully ball.
[Tatum] Used to dream about being
on this particular floor,
or used to watch your
favorite player play on Christmas,
and now you're doing the same.
- [Tatum] KP!
- [man] I got it.
[commentator] Tatum finds some room.
[commentator] James in the open floor.
Celtics all around him,
and he still puts it up and in.
Nine straight points by the Lakers,
and it's a one-point game.
[Tatum] When there's
a few seconds to just rest,
and I can just absorb all the moment,
this is crazy.
But my family, they weren't there.
And it was tough. Like, I knew
I knew where they were sitting,
and I saw the seats empty.
[commentator] That one goes off sideways,
out of bounds.
[buzzer sounds]
[commentator] Tatum behind the back.
Lots of contact that time.
- Tatum upset.
- [Tatum] What the fuck?!
No, no, no, no. Right here. Right here.
[commentator 2] I think it's his 3rd miss,
and he still didn't hesitate.
[Tatum] Go down. Go down.
- [commentator] Tatum misfires that.
- [whistle toots]
[commentator] Ball deflected out by Davis.
Tatum drives on Reddish.
Well-defended.
Not that time.
- [buzzer sounds]
- [crowd cheers]
[commentator] And that ends
a wild second quarter.
What a fun game here on Christmas
between the two most storied franchises
in NBA history.
[Mazzulla] Don't play
with the frustration level,
because the process is there.
So instead of that spin off right there,
Russell's standing there.
Go rip screen, or you slip out of it,
and then you come get the DHO from Al.
Don't spin move to the back of the
Yeah, it wasn't really there.
You were just trying to force it.
See the other things that's there.
You know,
the opponent is our enemy at the time.
And that's who we're going up against.
And you gotta know
that you're just as much a threat
in the environment as anybody else.
I'm thinking if I spin,
the man in the corner help.
I gotta throw the ball to the corner.
Yeah, he does, but we don't get you
the ball in an advantageous situation.
That's a read you're hoping they make
instead of making the play that's there.
- Right.
- Like those are for ATOs.
- Don't let the frustration go.
- [Tatum] Okay.
- See the floor. Make the right play.
- [Tatum] I got you.
And so that comment was like,
"Hey. This is what they're trying to do."
"If they see that,
this is what they're gonna go to."
[indistinct chatter]
[commentator] One of the things that
Joe Mazzulla's been talking about
is the unselfishness of his stars,
but as for the Celtics,
you wanna see Tatum
be a little more aggressive?
[commentator 2] Has to be more aggressive,
but the big difference
in the game right now,
it's a one-point, one-shot difference
in the three-point line.
If you tell me that before the game,
I'm telling you
the Lakers are gonna win that game.
[Tatum] Not to say
that I was, like, down, but
I was anticipating them showing up.
You know, it's just being a dad
on Christmas is so much different.
It's just all about the kids.
Kept looking over there to their seat,
looking at the time.
I was just hoping that they made it.
[gentle music playing]
[Tatum] That was like
a bucket-list moment, playing in LA
against the Lakers on Christmas
and my mom and my son courtside there.
That's a special moment.
It doesn't get any better
than playing on Christmas Day
in that environment and that moment.
That was for sure something
I'll always remember.
Yo. What up?
Merry Christmas. Do I get a hug?
What's up, Mom?
To see the smile on
Jayson and Deuce's face
when they finally were reunited,
it was a relief.
[Tatum] And them walking in just kind of
gave me some more life, some energy.
[commentator] Celtics, the last two games,
at 25 threes and 22 threes,
as Tatum makes a beautiful move.
Just his third field goal.
Now Davis trying to defend Porzingis.
Tatum gets the entry pass.
That's a nice feed from Porzingis.
White, pass inside.
Tatum, a little hesitation and shoots.
[Tatum] Pass, D. White.
[commentator] White throws it up
for Tatum, and he throws it down.
[LeBron] Where are you? I can't see you.
- [man] It must be the shoes.
- You gotta get to the corner.
- [commentator] Under four to play.
- Hoo! Hoo!
Right, left! Right, left! Set it. Set it!
Oh!
[commentator] Well, Celtics
will improve to an NBA-best 23 and 6.
[cheering]
- Merry Christmas.
- Merry Christmas.
- Yo.
- [LeBron] Yes, sir.
Deuce! Merry Christmas, man.
What's up, boy?
That's very Merry Christmas.
- Look at him.
- [Tatum] All right, baby.
- What's up? Merry Christmas.
- Keep going.
- Deuce, what up, baby?
- [Tatum] Merry Christmas, brother.
Daddy, I wanna stay with you.
[Tatum] You can.
All right, baby. All right, baby.
Take care of my nephew.
All five starters in double figures,
but it was your defense that helped you
recontrol the game in that second half.
[Tatum] Just how we responded.
We jumped out on them early.
Uh, they're a really good team.
They got great players.
Was this a good win for your dad?
Happy, uh, Christmas?
Happy Christmas.
[reporter] Perfect. Merry Christmas.
["Go Tell It on the Mountain" playing]
[LeBron] What's going on?
What's up, girl?
- Little college student.
- [woman] Good to see you.
[LeBron] What's up?
Nephew.
- Go, Ducks.
- Go, Ducks.
Best of luck in that game.
It's on the first?
- Yeah, the first.
- Yes, sir. Go get busy.
- What up, dawg?
- What's up?
- [LeBron grunts]
- [laughing]
[LeBron] Merry Christmas.
- What's up, Richie P.?
- What's up, bro?
- Hey, man.
- Totally.
It's Christmas. I'm a nice guy today.
I ain't usually this nice.
It's all good.
[man] Nice to meet you.
[man 2] Deuce! Merry Christmas, Deuce.
- [Tatum] Y'all finally made it.
- [Brandy sighs]
- Long day?
- [chuckles]
- [Tatum] Deuce good today?
- Don't ask me on camera.
Why do you have so many tattoos?
Daddy like tattoos.
Just because
Is this me or you when you were a baby?
That's an angel. You right there.
You as a baby though.
This say your name
on the back of this arm.
Oh yeah. I like that one.
[Shashana] Nice, Tigey.
[Tiger squeals]
[Shashana] Wow.
[Sabonis] Who else is in there? Tiger.
- Who else is in there?
- [Shashana] Is Ernie in there?
[woman chuckles]
[Butler] Whoa, look at that pretty dress.
[LeBron] Z!
Ah!
What's up, cutie pie?
[high-pitched] Merry Christmas, y'all.
[woman] Merry Christmas.
[high-pitched] Merry Christmas, y'all.
Merry Christmases.
[high-pitched] Merry Christmases.
Ready, booboo?
Let's do it.
[Savannah] Stop! We're on camera.
That's my camera.
[LeBron] It's the best feeling
in the world.
I got a beautiful wife,
a beautiful family.
It's so cool being a dad,
being a husband, being a son.
My my beautiful mom as well.
I'm sitting there, like,
"This is, like,
the coolest feeling in the world."
[upbeat percussion music playing]