Prince William and Kate Middleton, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, attended Monday night’s game between the Brooklyn Nets and Cleveland Cavaliers at the Barclays Center. While they were there, they had the pleasure of meeting LeBron James — or, as LeBron likes to call himself, “The King.”
After meeting the Duke and Duchess, LeBron posted the photos you see above on Instagram with the following caption.
“Wow what an Honor! This game has brought me so much and I’ll never take it for granted! The King, “Duke & Duchess. #Royalty #StriveForGreatness #RWTW #LRMR #Klutch.”
Yeah, he referred to himself as “The King” while in the presence of actual royalty.
We get the whole “King James” thing. It has been LeBron’s nickname since the world realized he was the next heir to the NBA throne. But Prince William, the eldest son of Prince Charles, could be an actual king some day. When Queen Elizabeth, William’s grandmother, gives up her throne, retires or passes away, Charles will become king. He then has the option of passing the throne to William.
There have also been rumblings that LeBron broke protocol by putting his arm around Middleton’s shoulder, though we can’t really blame him for not being familiar with the “rules” of interacting with royalty. Most of us would have no idea how to act, either.
But the whole “King” label definitely seems a bit silly when meeting the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. If LeBron wants to play up the “King James” angle at extravagant parties like this, he can knock himself out. He probably could have dropped the nickname for just one night.
