LeBron James, the celebrated NBA star and four-time champion, has been chosen by his fellow American Olympians to lead Team USA as the male flagbearer during the opening ceremony of the Paris Games.
James, a three-time Olympic medalist, received the news of this honor on Monday in London. He becomes the third basketball player, and the first male player, to carry the U.S. flag at the beginning of an Olympics.
The United States is anticipated to field nearly 600 athletes in the Games.
Scheduled for July 26, the opening ceremony will feature a historic spectacle: Thousands of athletes from over 80 national Olympic committees will sail along the River Seine at sunset, culminating at the Eiffel Tower.
The female flagbearer for Team USA will be announced soon. In 2020, the International Olympic Committee mandated that national delegations have two flagbearers—one male and one female—to promote gender equality at the opening ceremony.
The procession spans a 6-kilometer (3.7-mile) route, with approximately 320,000 spectators expected along the riverbanks and an estimated global TV audience of 1 billion.
Not all Olympians participate in the opening ceremony due to logistical reasons, such as imminent competition. James and the U.S. men’s basketball team, aiming for a fifth consecutive gold medal, will begin their Olympic campaign on Sunday against Serbia in Lille, France.
Following Olympic tradition, Greece will lead the procession, with NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo among its flagbearers, followed by the Refugee Olympic Team and around 200 other national delegations. The United States, slated to host the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles, will march second to last, preceding France, the host nation.
The French men’s basketball team, featuring NBA standout Victor Wembanyama, is scheduled to commence their Olympic journey on Saturday and may not participate in the opening ceremony.
