PARIS — Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James will carry the United States flag in Friday’s Opening Ceremonies at the Paris Olympics, the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee announced Monday.
James is the first NBA player to carry the U.S. flag in an Olympic Opening Ceremonies. WNBA players Sue Bird and Dawn Staley have carried the flag in past Games. A female flag bearer will be named Tuesday.
The flag bearers are chosen by a vote of the American athletes at the Paris Olympics.
Friday’s ceremony will be unique because it’s the first to be held outside of a stadium. Instead of walking in a parade, athletes will stand on river barges that will sail along the Seine toward a port across the river from the Eiffel Tower, where they will enter a temporary arena that will serve as the ceremony’s setting.
The USOPC expects more than 350 of its 592 athletes in Paris to take part in the ceremony.
This is James’s fourth Olympics. He helped the U.S. win gold medals at the 2008 and 2012 Games and a bronze in 2004.
“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 in a statement released by the USOPC. “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.”
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