LeBron James put down the basketballs this week and grabbed a handful of Rihanna‘s pregnant belly instead — and the adorable moment was all captured on video!!!

The King has been in France the past few days enjoying a little vacation during the Lakers’ offseason … and while at the Louis Vuitton show in Paris — he ran into his longtime friend, Rihanna.

The two shared a warm embrace … and at one point during the hug, LBJ couldn’t help but give a squeeze to the most famous stomach on the planet at the moment.

Check out the footage, Bron palmed it like a basketball for several seconds — and the “Work” singer was loving it!!

RiRi grabbed James’ hand and appeared to thank him for some kind words he was whispering … and it was all a super sweet moment.

Of course, the meetup was just one of many memorable occasions LeBron’s gotten to experience this week … he was able to dine with Draymond Green just a few days prior — and he even received some serious praise for the ‘fit and grill he rocked to the LV show.

It’ll be back to basketball sometime soon (maybe!) … but until then, LeBron’s clearly ready to enjoy every second of his downtime.