Being selected as the flag bearer representing the country is always a great honor for any athlete participating in the Olympics. The US delegation also selected one male and one female athlete from the 592 names participating in the 2024 Paris Olympics to be the flag bearers at the opening ceremony.

Among them, the identity of the male athlete is the world-famous basketball star LeBron James. Why did “King James” receive this honor?
Who will carry the flag to lead the US sports delegation at the 2024 Olympics?
Men’s flag bearer : LeBron James
Female flag bearer: Coco Gauff
On July 21, the U.S. Olympic delegation announced that LeBron James will be the men’s flag bearer for the 2024 Olympics opening ceremony. James and his teammate are the second mixed-race couple to have this honor at the Olympics. The first couple to share the honor were WNBA star Sue Bird and Olympic medalist Eddy Alvarez in speed skating and baseball.

LeBron James is the first male basketball player to serve as a flag bearer for the U.S. team. If you include women’s basketball, he is the third, after Bird (2021) and Dawn Staley (2000).

Why was LeBron James chosen as the flag bearer?
With his legendary contributions to the NBA in particular and American basketball in general, LeBron James was voted by his colleagues in the US Sports Delegation to receive this honor.

The move is also a beautiful tribute to James’ contributions to American sports. It’s understandable, because this is the 4th Olympics that the 39-year-old thrower has participated in – and certainly the last.

Previously, LeBron James contributed to 2 Olympic gold medals for the US in 2008 and 2012. In addition to the mission of winning a gold medal, the Los Angeles Lakers star still has another goal: to become the second highest scorer for the US at the Olympics.

“Being chosen by my peers to be the flag bearer is a tremendous honor — and a tribute to the passion and dedication that LeBron has brought to American basketball and sports,” said Sarah Hirshland, president of the U.S. Olympic Committee.

List of American Olympic flag bearers

Year
Athlete
Sport

1912
George Bonhag
Athletics

1920
Patrick McDonald
Athletics

1924
Patrick McDonald
Athletics

1928
Lemuel (Bud) Houser
Athletics

1932
F. Morgan Taylor
Athletics

1936
Alfred Jochim
Gymnastics

1948

1952
Norman Armitage
Fencing

1956
Norman Armitage
Fencing

Warren Wooford
Race

1960
Rafer Johnson
Athletics

1964
William Parry O’Brien
Athletics

1968
Janice Lee Romary
Fencing

1972
Olga Fikotova Connolly
Athletics

1976
Gary Hall
Swimming

1984
Edward Burke
Athletics

1988
Evelyn Ashford
Athletics

1992
Francie Larrieu Smith
Athletics

1996
Bruce Baumgartner
Door weights

2000
Cliff Meidl
Canoe/Kayak

2004
Dawn Staley
Basketball

2008
Lopez Lomong
Athletics

2012
Mariel Zagunis
Fencing

2016
Michael Phelps
Swimming

2020
Eddy Alvarez
Baseball

Sue Bird
Basketball

2024
LeBron James
Basketball

Coco Gauff
Tennis

The 1956 Olympics were a special case. The equestrian event had to be held in Stockholm, Sweden, instead of Melbourne, because host Australia had extremely strict entry laws for horses. As a result, Norman Armitage carried the flag for the United States in Melbourne, while Warren Wooford represented the United States in Stockholm.