LeBron James has been selected to carry the U.S. flag during Friday’s opening ceremony for the Olympics, writes Brian Windhorst 0f ESPN. The Lakers star was chosen in a vote by his fellow Olympians, making him the first male basketball player to ever receive the honor. He will be joined by a female athlete who will be voted on Tuesday.
“It’s an incredible honor to represent the United States on this global stage, especially in a moment that can bring the whole world together,” James said. “For a kid from Akron, this responsibility means everything to not only myself, but to my family, all the kids in my hometown, my teammates, fellow Olympians and so many people across the country with big aspirations. Sports have the power to bring us all together, and I’m proud to be a part of this important moment.”
James and his teammates are currently in London, where they will play their last pre-Olympic exhibition game later today against Germany. Team USA is 4-0 so far, but is coming off a narrow win over South Sudan on Saturday.
James was nominated to be the flag bearer by Stephen Curry, who submitted a video on his behalf, along with USA Basketball. This is the fourth Olympics for James, who won gold medals in 2008 and 2012 and a bronze in 2004.
“We are thrilled to announce LeBron James as one of two flag bearers who will lead Team USA in the Opening Ceremony, and officially open the Paris 2024 Games,” U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee CEO Sarah Hirshland said in a statement. “Being selected by your teammates to carry the flag is a tremendous honor — and a testament to LeBron’s passion for Team USA and his dedication to his sport. We will watch with great pride as the flag bearers lead our athletes who are about to embark on a remarkable journey together.”
Dawn Staley in 2004 and Sue Bird in 2020 are the only other American basketball players to ever carry the flag in the Olympics.
Friday’s ceremony will start at 12:30 p.m. Central time (7:30 p.m. in Paris) and will be shown live on NBC.
Perfect. King of Flopping is perfect choice to hold the flag in this day and age.
Seems fitting. Have LaFlop James be the representative of the land of fabricated drama and greed.
We heard you the first time lol
Nobody is forcing you to live here btw
Your envy and bitterness at your own lot in life requires deep psychological help .
What a disgrace to many other deserving Olympic team members….
What a disgraceful comment that deserves no response.
I bet he thinks Embiid deserves it lol
It’s so funny that people are mad about this, and how they’re choosing to express it. The thin skin is universal.
Having an opinion about something doesn’t automatically equate to being mad. I think this is a stupid choice personally. I believe the Olympics should seek to showcase lesser known sports and therefor athletes.
But mad about it? Nah that is as stupid as thos decision was.
LOL…certainly not “mad”….. but having a billionaire holding the flag at the start certainly doesn’t represent the Olympic spirit… Plenty of other deserving flag bearers who don’t have the platform as James does. I’m sure James would be ok if he didn’t carry the flag in..
In n6 months nobody will remember who carried the flag so why are people upset. 99.9% of people can not name who carried it 4 years ago.
Sue Bird 2024
Yeah you know the other athletes decided this right? Or is Lebrons reach so long in your mind that he forced his way into carrying the flag?
Thank god someone else actually reads the article before they start throwing crap in the comments. The other athletes choose who carries the flag!
For the love of god can we stop the fake outrage about lebron this offseason, we get it you dont like him for whatever reason but the hate campaign this summer is so overplayed at this point.
I’m sure you’ll be okay. LeBron is the greatest athlete WORLD WIDE of his generation, and means a lot more to the people, athletes, fans on this planet. He built himself into a billionaire via sport. Sorry that this is bigger than you and you’ll have to suck up this moment in history.
Also likely to be his last Olympics. Makes plenty of sense to have him be the one holding it this time.
@ Philly 6
You’re mad.
Yuck. Who cares?
LeBronnnn Jaaaaamesss
Love how he dropped in “Kid From Akron” he must get a royalty check on that lol. Congrats LeBron.
Lame. Leave that honor to a real amateur.
Barely any of the Olympic athletes nowadays are amateurs though
Don’t worry, when or if they play China, he will bow down to his overlord. The emperor of China.
His ego is that big that he actually accepted? A real man in his situation would say ‘ Thanks, but I get more than enough attention as it is. Give it to someone else.’
Still wont make Bronny 6’6″.
But congrats to Lebron, this is an honor and something i am sure he will cherish for the rest of his life.
I’m not a big fan of LeBron’s late career act, but he’s worthy of this honor. For the delegation as a whole, seniority has always been the biggest factor. Within the sport itself, when the new USA Basketball regime was formed, LeBron was one of the first young players to make the required multi-year commitment to the team, and was instrumental in getting others to follow. It wasn’t what most of the top young players in the NBA had done in the years prior. Kobe, for one, didn’t sign up until later, after things improved largely because of LeBron and the rest of the draft classes of 2003-o4. Regardless of the current state of this regime, it was a huge upgrade from its predecessor.
his career resume makes him deserving. definitely qualified. the things he’s doing at this stage of his career is ridiculous. gonna carry this team and will them to a gold.
His NBA career is not relevant to an Olympic honor. But his USA bb career is.
correct.