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