LeBron James, first American basketball player to carry the flag at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games

LeBron James wasn't entirely sure what the Opening Ceremony was all about when he was selected for his first Olympics in 2004.

This time he will be one of the stars of the show.

James was selected by his fellow American Olympians to serve as the men's flag bearer for the Americans at the opening ceremony of the Paris Games on Friday night. He becomes the third basketball player, and the first male player, to carry the American flag at the start of an Olympics, joining Dawn Staley for the 2004 Athens Games and Sue Bird for the 2021 Tokyo Games.

“It’s an incredible honor to represent the United States on this international stage, especially at a time that can bring the world together,” James said. “As a kid from Akron, this responsibility means the world, not only to me, but to my family, all the kids in my hometown, my teammates, my fellow Olympians and so many people across the country who have big ambitions. Sports has the power to bring us all together, and I’m proud to be a part of this important moment.”

James, 39, was informed of the honor Monday in London, hours before the U.S. men's team played its final pre-Olympic exhibition match against world champion Germany.

Stephen Curry, another American star and new Olympic participant, nominated James on behalf of the U.S. men's team for the role of flag bearer.

“We understand what an honor it is to be in this position and I think Bron's entire career, on and off the court, speaks for itself as to how deserving he is of this honor,” Curry said in the nomination video.

“He embodied what it means to be great on and off the court, in his commitment to service and bettering the community in all the ways he knew was a lifelong passion,” Curry added. “And his work speaks for itself.”

The U.S. flag bearer is expected to be announced Tuesday. The International Olympic Committee decided in 2020 that national delegations would have two flag bearers, one male and one female, at the Olympic opening ceremony, a move aimed at promoting gender parity. The United States is expected to have nearly 600 athletes at the Paris Games, about 53% of them women.

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“Being selected by his teammates to carry the flag is a tremendous honor and a testament to LeBron’s passion for Team USA and dedication to his sport,” said Sarah Hirshland, CEO of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee.

James, a global icon, four-time NBA champion and the league's all-time leading scorer who is set to enter his record-tying 22nd NBA season, is set to compete in the Olympics for the fourth time, having been part of the U.S. teams that won bronze in 2004, gold in Beijing in 2008 and gold again in London in 2012. He has appeared in the opening ceremonies at each of his previous three Olympics.

This time it will float.

It will be an opening ceremony unlike any other in Olympic history: thousands of athletes will take part in a flotilla sailing down the Seine at sunset toward the Eiffel Tower. The course will stretch for six kilometers and will welcome about 320,000 spectators from the banks of the Seine, and about a billion others, according to Olympic officials, will follow the ceremony on television screens around the world.

Not all Olympic athletes participate in the opening ceremony. Many skip out on logistical reasons, such as having to compete the next day. James and the Americans, the reigning four-time gold medalists, won't begin the Olympics until Sunday, when they face Serbia in Lille, France.

James and the U.S. Olympians will wait longer than almost any other nation before taking to the Seine. In keeping with IOC custom, Greece, whose NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo will be one of two flag bearers, will lead the procession, followed by the Refugee Olympic Team and about 200 other national delegations. The United States is expected to be second to last in the procession, as Los Angeles will host the next Summer Games in 2028.

Host nation France will be the last nation to march in the opening ceremony. Its men's basketball team, featuring reigning NBA rookie of the year Victor Wembanyama, opens Saturday and is not expected to attend the opening ceremony.