The 39-year-old, a four-time NBA champion, is set to captain Team USA basketball in the coming days as he takes part in his fourth Olympic Games.
He will try and secure his third gold medal alongside the likes of Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Joel Embiid, who will be managed by Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr.
But before taking to the court in his expected role as a point forward, James will become Team USA’s first ever men’s basketball player to walk an Olympic Opening Ceremony as flag bearer.
The LA Lakers star was voted by a group of nearly 600 members of Team USA to be one of two flag bearers, with reigning US Open champion Coco Gauff joining James for the ceremony.
“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 Team USA statement.
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.”
James becomes the third basketball player, and first men’s player, to carry the U.S flag at the start of an Olympics, joining Dawn Staley and Sue Bird in that esteemed list.
Some will be surprised to hear that James will be first male basketball player to carry the U.S flag at an Olympic Games.ADVERT
Michael Jordan competed in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles prior to his NBA career and again in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona as a professional.
Jordan’s teams never lost, going 8-0 in both 1984 and 1992, but he never carried the flag at an opening ceremony.
As mentioned earlier, Tennis world number two Coco Gauff will join James as the USA’s female flag.
“I never thought in a million years I would have the honor of carrying the American flag for Team USA in the Opening Ceremony,” she said in a statement
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