The Toyota Center in Houston should have been outfitted with a couple of thrones Friday night, because two queens were sitting courtside at the Houston Rockets’ game against the Golden State Warriors. Beyoncé sat in the front row with Jay-Z, while sat Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke sat nearby.
Though both women were front and center for the action, the Rockets decided to have a little fun with Clarke, Game of Thrones style. The Rockets mascot pretended to walk by the HBO show’s star, drop his coffee cup, and kneel before Queen Daenerys Targaryen, also known as Khaleesi. As an added bonus, the lower third featured her entire title, written in Game of Thrones font.
Clarke seemed to get a kick out of the bit; she bent over in a fit of giggles. But she wasn’t the only one who had a surprise spotlight on her that night. Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s presence was announced to the tune of “Crazy in Love.” The announcer was also sure to name them by name and title. “We have royalty with us in the house tonight,” he yelled, before adding: “We have our queen of Houston, Texas with us tonight. We got the king of Brooklyn, New York in the house tonight! Make some noise for Jay-Z and Beyoncé.”
The couple, who was most likely expecting the public adoration, laughed and played along as the cameras focused on them. As frequenters of the front row at basketball games, they’re used to this kind of thing.
Upon seeing both queens at the game, Rockets fans felt the pressure for their team to succeed.
Unfortunately, the Golden State Warriors and their king, Stephen Curry, bested the Rockets in the end with a score of 118-113.