LeBron named flag-bearer for US in his final Olympics

LOS ANGELES: 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 U.S. Olympians to serve as the male flag-bearer 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.

“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.

The 39-year-old James got word of the honour Monday in London, a few hours before the US men’s team was scheduled to play its final pre-Olympics exhibition game against World Cup champion Germany.

The female US flag-bearer is expected to be revealed Tuesday. The International Olympic Committee decided in 2020 that national delegations would have two flag-bearers  one male, one female  at the opening ceremony at an Olympics, a move to promote gender parity. The US is expected to have nearly 600 athletes in the Paris Games, about 53% of them female.

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.

James and the U.S. Olympians will be waiting longer than almost any other nation for their trip on the Seine. By IOC custom, Greece — which will have NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo as one of its two flag-bearers  will lead the procession, followed by the Refugee Olympic Team and then about 200 more national delegations. The U.S. is scheduled to go next-to-last in the procession, because Los Angeles will play host to the next Summer Games in 2028.