CLEVELAND (AP) – Sound the royal trumpets and roll out the 94-foot red carpet from baseline to baseline.

The 18-year-old called King James – the one with the spellbinding skills, dazzling smile, $100 million in endorsements and sky-high expectations – has arrived.

Welcome to the NBA, LeBron James. It’s hard to remember a more eagerly anticipated debut.

The Beatles didn’t get hype like this, but John, Paul, George and Ringo didn’t step off a plane 40 years ago with $90 million sneaker deals, their own commercials, MTV awards or $500,000 wristwatches.

The entertainment world has changed, which is why a basketball prodigy from Akron raised by a single mother can become a megamillionaire and an A-list celebrity anointed a messiah before playing a single second of his first pro game.

Now James, the nation’s top high school player the past two years, must prove he deserves it all. His Cleveland Cavaliers open the regular season Wednesday in Sacramento.

“I’ve never been around a player like him, certainly not one at 18,” said first-year Cavaliers coach Paul Silas. “He has an unusual confidence. He’s not going to be intimidated by anyone. He says the right things at the right time.

“He has that swagger that the great ones have. I’m not putting him in a great category – yet. He has a chance to be a very, very special player.”

After a highly publicized prep career spent toying with high school players, James will take the floor with grown men every night.

The LeBron James Era has begun.

Like Mike?

The Next Michael Jordan. The Next Magic Johnson. The Next Overrated Bust. Take your pick. In a few years, James may fall into one of those categories.

Right now, the 6-foot-8, 240-pound James is a chiseled package who can jump like Jordan, pass like Johnson and shoot like an Average Joe. He is expected to become an instant All-Star, and Cavaliers fans hope he can bring Cleveland its first championship since 1964.

“The hype is almost impossible for him to live up to,” said Cavs guard Ricky Davis. “They kind of set you up for failure.”

James, though, isn’t concerned about the pressure.

“I just want to make my team better every game,” he often says. “I’m here to win. I want to win. Everything else will take care of itself.”

It’s up to Silas to see that it does.

The 60-year-old, fired by New Orleans, was hired in June as the 15th head coach in Cavs history – and an ideal first one for James.

A two-time All-Star, Silas won three NBA titles during 16 seasons as a fearsome rebounder, tireless worker and disciplined player. As a coach, he has a reputation for being tough but fair and an excellent teacher.

Lesson No. 1 for fans: Patience.

“We only won 17 games last year,” Silas said. “This kid has not played one game yet, and the expectation is if he doesn’t score 20 points and grab 10 rebounds a game, the whole world will say, ‘He just can’t get it done.’

Impact in Cleveland

LeBronmania is running rampant, whether justified or a product of media overkill.

In Cleveland, No. 23 is an undisputed No. 1. James is possibly the city’s most high-profile athlete since Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown ran roughshod through the NFL in the 1960s.

“He’s the most popular thing in basketball,” said Cleveland forward Carlos Boozer. “We’re just along for the ride.”

James, who grew up just 40 miles away, has already transformed the Cavaliers, absent from the playoffs since 1998, into a hot commodities.

Last in the league in home attendance in 2002-03, the Cavs have nearly tripled their season-ticket base. Other teams included the Cavaliers in their best ticket packages.

“We’ll be the second-most watched team on the road behind only the Lakers,” Silas said. “That blows my mind.”

The Cavaliers will be on national television 13 times this season, which is 13 more

than the past two seasons combined.

Media requests have poured in from around the globe. James’ preseason debut in Detroit was attended by reporters from Japan, France and Malaysia.

He has also made the Cavaliers fashionably hip, as fans wear his wine-and-gold rookie jersey. About 400,000 have been sold, ranking James just behind Jordan in national sales.

“I’ve never seen anything like it in my 30 years in the league,” Silas said.

“Chosen One”

Christened “The Chosen One’ at 17 with a Sports Illustrated cover story, James spent the past three seasons dunking on kids who couldn’t hold their own against him.

Before beginning his first preseason as a pro, James couldn’t remember the last time he wasn’t the best player on the court.

“Tough question,” he said.

How about never?

“You can print that,” he said.

Those days are over. NBA players are eager to test themselves against James.

“He should have an endorsement with Target,” said Minnesota All-Star forward Kevin Garnett. “Because he has a bull’s-eye on his back.”

James, who was on the radar screen of NBA scouts since he was 15, can no longer count on taking over a game and dominating whenever he needs to.

A marvelous passer with superb court vision, he needs to work on his outside shooting. He’ll also have to adjust to an 82-game schedule, nonstop travel and the occasional elbow to the ribs.

“He’s in with the big boys now,” Detroit center Ben Wallace said. “I hope he’s prepared.”

And then there’s the spotlight.

“He’s not going to be able to take a night off,” Boozer said. “That’s tough.”

Not your normal teen

James carries himself with a maturity that defies his youth.

An only child, he was raised by his mother, Gloria, 35, whom he has described as also being his father, brother, sister and closest friend.

During his senior year at St. Vincent-St. Mary, James had to deal with more than basketball.

Twice the Ohio High School Athletic Association investigated whether he accepted gifts that endangered his amateur status. James was declared ineligible after receiving two “throwback” jerseys before a judge reinstated him.

There was also the inquiry into his now-infamous Hummer, the $80,000 sports utility vehicle his mom gave him for his 18th birthday.

It was a taste of what life as a high-profile sports celebrity will be like. From now on, James will be under a microscope as the world sees whether he can live up to the incredible hype.

“I love all this,” he said swarmed by cameras and reporters at the Cavaliers’ recent media day. “This is a dream come true. I hope it never ends.”

For now, it’s just beginning.