Prince William And Kate Middleton Are Bigger Basketball Fans Than We Knew

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Prince William and Kate Middleton are visiting the US for the first time in eight years, and it’s clear that one sporting event from their 2014 tour of America stayed with them.

Just a few hours after landing in Boston on Wednesday, the Prince and Princess of Wales headed to an NBA game between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat at TD Garden.

The two sat courtside with former Harvard basketball player and Massachusetts Gov.-elect Maura Healey ― who also played professionally ― and visited with members of the Celtics family and the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation.

Mayor of Boston Michelle Wu, Gov.-elect Maura Healey, William and Kate, and Emilia Fazzalari, wife of Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck, attend the NBA game between the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat on Wednesday.

BRIAN SNYDER via Getty Images

The Prince and Princess of Wales with high-profile courtside fans at the game, which took place at Boston's TD Garden.

Royalty at TD Garden @RoyalFamily 👑 pic.twitter.com/vf9E893Of6
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) December 1, 2022

The royals also attended an NBA game in 2014, when they saw the Cleveland Cavaliers take on the Brooklyn Nets at the Barclays Center in New York. Kate and William sat with NBA star Dikembe Mutombo during the game and later spoke with LeBron James after the game.

The two were presented with a “Cambridge” jersey by James and a smaller jersey that said “George” for their first son.

The then-Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with basketball player LeBron James backstage after the Cleveland Cavaliers played the Brooklyn Nets game on Dec. 8, 2014, in New York City.

Prior to the game, the prince and princess headed to Boston City Hall to kick off the countdown to the Earthshot Prize Awards ceremony on Friday.

The crowd cheered when the couple emerged, with Will in a navy suit and Kate in a Burberry dress, Alexander McQueen coat and earrings by Shyla London, a sustainable-jewelry designer.

Fans looking to catch a glimpse of the royal couple waited for hours in a steady rain, and William delivered a speech after Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and Rev. Mariama White-Hammond, Boston’s chief of environment, energy and open space, also spoke.

The Prince and Princess of Wales with Massachusetts Gov.-elect Maura Healey and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu (right) as they kick off Earthshot celebrations Wednesday by lighting up Boston at Speaker’s Corner by City Hall.

Boston Mayor Michell Wu (right), her sons Blaise and Cass, and husband Conor Perwarski chat with William and Kate on Wednesday in her office at Boston City Hall.

“Thank you to Mayor Wu, and thank you to all the hardy Bostonians braving the rain,” William said in his opening remarks.

“Catherine and I are absolutely delighted to be with you today for our first engagement in the great city of Boston as we start the countdown to the Earthshot Prize Awards this Friday.”

To see more photos of the royal couple’s visit, check out the slideshow below:

Winslow Townson via Getty Images

Miami Heat v Boston Celtics

BOSTON, MA - NOVEMBER 30: Kyle Lowry #7 of the Miami Heat tries to inbound the ball over Grant Williams #12 of the Boston Celtics in the second half as Prince William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales look on during an NBA basketball game at TD Garden on November 30, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images)