Every USA Olympics flag bearer since 1908, now starring LeBron James


LeBron James is set to make history at the Paris Olympics by being the first U.S. men’s basketball player to be a flag bearer at the games.

This marks the third time in history a basketball player has been a flag bearer at the games, with Sue Bird carrying the flag during the opening ceremony of the 2020 games in Tokyo, while Dawn Staley had the duty at the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

These games are special for LeBron, as they’ll almost assuredly be his last. A four-time Olympian, he represented the United States in 2004, 2008, and 2012 — but missed the 2016 and 2020 games to focus on the NBA. Now at the age of 39 there’s a very good chance he won’t be playing for the national team in 2028, and the significance of the moment isn’t lost on LeBron.

“It’s an incredible honor 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 Paris games mark a chance for Team USA to make a major statement. Much of the talk has been around how the world is catching up in basketball, and that the United States’ dominance has ended after a 4th place finish at the 2023 FIBA World Cup, but the NBA’s best have all come to play this games to establish the pecking order in global basketball.

Here’s how LeBron slots in with every U.S. flag bearer in the past.

United States Summer Olympic flag bearers

Years City Name Sport
Years City Name Sport
1908 London Ralph Rose Athletics
1912 Stockholm George Bonhag Athletics
1920 Antwerp Pat McDonald Athletics
1924 Paris Pat McDonald Athletics
1928 Amsterdam Bud Houser Athletics
1932 Los Angeles Morgan Taylor Athletics
1936 Berlin Al Jochim Gymnastics
1948 London Ralph Craig Athletics
1952 Helsinki Norman Armitage Fencing
1956 Melbourne Norman Armitage Fencing
1960 Rome Rafer Johnson Athletics
1964 Tokyo Patty O’Brien Athletics
1968 Mexico City Janice Romary Fencing
1972 Munich Olga Fikotova Athletics
1976 Montreal Gary Hall Swimming
1984 Los Angeles Ed Burke Athletics
1988 Seoul Evelyn Ashford Athletics
1992 Barcelona Francie Larrieu Smith Athletics
1996 Atlanta Michael Matz Equestrian
2000 Sydney Cammi Granato Canoeing
2004 Athens Dawn Staley Basketball
2008 Beijing Lope Lomong Athletics
2012 London Mariel Zagunis Fencing
2016 Rio de Janeiro Michael Phelps Swimming
2020 Tokyo Sue Bird Basketball
2020 Tokyo Eddy Alvarez Baseball
2024 Paris LeBron James Basketball



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