Olympic Games: LeBron James to carry US flag at opening ceremony

LeBron James wasn’t totally sure what the opening ceremony was all about when he was picked for his first Olympics in 2004.

This time, he’ll be one of the stars of the show.

James has been picked by his fellow US Olympians to serve as the male flagbearer for the Americans in Friday night’s opening ceremony for the Paris Games.

He becomes the third basketball player - and the first men’s player - to carry the U.S. flag at the start of an Olympics, joining Dawn Staley for the Athens Games in 2004 and Sue Bird for the Tokyo Games that happened in 2021.

The 39-year-old James got word of the news on Monday in London, a few hours before the Americans played their final pre-Olympics exhibition game against World Cup champions Germany.

“It’s an incredible honour 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.”

The female US flagbearer will be revealed in the coming days. The International Olympic Committee decided in 2020 that national delegations would have two flagbearers - one male, one female - at the opening ceremony at an Olympics, a move to promote gender parity.

James - a global icon, a four-time NBA champion and the league’s all-time leading scorer set to go into his record-tying 22nd NBA season - is set to play in the Olympics for the fourth time, after he was part of US teams that won bronze in 2004, gold at Beijing in 2008 and gold again in London in 2012.

He walked in the opening ceremony at each of his three previous Olympics.

This will be an opening ceremony like none other in Olympic history: Thousands of athletes will be part of a flotilla sailing along the River Seine at sunset toward the Eiffel Tower.