LeBron James leads Team USA as a flag bearer for the 2024 Paris Opening Ceremony. © Twitter (@TheWoodTV)
LeBron James has been voted by fellow U.S. athletes as one of the two flag bearers for Friday’s Opening Ceremony at the 2024 Paris Olympics. This marks James’ fourth and possibly final Olympic appearance, having previously represented Team USA in 2004, 2008, and 2012. The ceremony will take place on barges floating down the Seine River, adding a unique and picturesque element that will surely be a sight to behold.
James, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, will serve as Team USA’s male flag bearer. The female flag bearer will be introduced on Tuesday, according to the statement of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC). The selection process was orchestrated by Team USA’s athletes’ commission, with 592 athletes participating in the vote.
This honor is significant as James becomes the first U.S. men’s basketball player to serve as a flag bearer and only the third basketball player of any gender to do so. He joins the esteemed company of Sue Bird, who was a flag bearer in 2020, and Dawn Staley in 2004.
The Opening Ceremony will start on Friday at 1:30 p.m. E.T. (7:30 p.m. local time). The International Olympic Committee and Paris 2024 organizers have billed the event as a spectacle, with the ceremony spanning a three-plus mile stretch of the Seine rather than taking place in a traditional stadium. The parade of nations will feature delegations floating down the river in boats, disembarking in front of the Trocadero.
Just ahead of the current host, France, Team USA will be the second-to-last boat in Friday’s lineup because the United States is hosting the Summer Games in Los Angeles in 2028. This arrangement ensures a prominent spotlight for the American delegation as they make their way down the Seine, adding to the anticipation and excitement of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
