According to Eva Geitheim of Sports Illustrated on Tuesday, NBA legend LeBron James of Akron, Ohio will be the flag bearer for the United States in the opening ceremonies of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on Friday. James will become the first men’s basketball player ever to be the flag bearer in the opening or closing ceremonies of an Olympic Games.
In the past there have been two American female basketball players who have carried the flag in the opening ceremonies. Dawn Staley of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania received the honour at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, and Sue Bird of Syosset, New York received the honour at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021.
James was part of the American teams that won the gold medal in men’s basketball at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing and the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
James is the all-time leader in points in NBA history. After 1492 regular season games, he now has 40474 points. This past season, James averaged 25.7 points per game, 8.3 assists per game, 7.3 rebounds per game, 1.3 assists per game, with a field goal percentage of .540, three point percentage of .410, and a free throw percentage of .750.
In all, there are three NBA players who will be a flag bearer. Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks will be the flag bearer for Greece, and Dennis Schroeder of the Brooklyn Nets will be the flag bearer for Germany.
The United States have won the gold medal in men’s basketball at the last four Olympic Games. In Paris, the Americans are in Group C, alongside South Sudan, Puerto Rico and Serbia.
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