NBA: LeBron ‘King’ James to play in front of Prince William and wife Kate at game against Brooklyn

PRINCE William and his pregnant wife Kate will attend their first NBA game when LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers visit the Brooklyn Nets.

Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) passes around New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) in the first half of an NBA basketball game in New York, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2014. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

PRINCE William and his pregnant wife Kate will attend their first NBA game during a three-day US visit when LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers visit the Brooklyn Nets.

The four-time NBA Most Valuable Player nicknamed “King James” said it would be a “huge honour” to play before the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge when he leads the Cavaliers in search of their seventh win in a row at the Barclays Center on Tuesday AEDT.

“You read about people like them only in books growing up,” James said.

“To hear that they’re coming to town to see me play and they want to see me do what I do best, it’s a huge honour.”

The NBA said the royal couple would attend the game as part of a new partnership between the league and the Royal Foundation, a project linking the league’s NBA Cares program with the foundation’s United for Wildlife and Coach Core programs.

The projects will unite NBA players and England’s royalty to stress global wildlife conservation, develop a new generation of conservation leaders and boost the sport of basketball.

Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince William arrive in New York, where they will take in an NBA game.

“I think it’s great different people from different parts of the world want to come see great stars like LeBron and want to see the great game of basketball here in the United States,” Cavaliers coach David Blatt said.

“That’s a blessing for all of us.”

New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony will take part in a Coach Core graduation event to develop new basketball coaches when his team visits London to play the Milwaukee Bucks on January 14 in a regular-season matchup.

United for Wildlife efforts, led by Prince William, will receive a boost from NBA stars as Spanish Olympian Serge Ibaka of the Oklahoma City Thunder, retired African NBA legend Dikembe Mutombo and two-time NBA All-Star Al Horford of Atlanta.

They join a line-up of conversation boosters that includes English football icon David Beckham, Scottish tennis star Andy Murray, Formula One star Lewis Hamilton and retired Chinese NBA star Yao Ming.