Before he led Team USA to the gold medal and won the Men’s Olympic Tournament MVP, LeBron James created history by becoming the first male basketball player to be the nation’s flag bearer at the opening ceremony. The three-time gold medalist was front and center on the boat carrying the US athletes, which led to an iconic photo that Josh Hart adores.
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On the latest episode of The Roommates Show, the Knicks star and teammate Jalen Brunson spoke about the incredible image. The guard hilariously claimed that it wasn’t James waving the flag, but his alter ego “Captain LeMerica.” Hart went further and joked that the Lakers superstar looked like an explorer searching for new lands. The veteran forward said,
“[LeBron James’] face on when he was holding that flag bro? It really looked like that man was out there like, like he was on a conquest to discover America or something, bro! I’mma tell my kids that was Christopher Columbus!”
There’s people who hate LeBron so much that they’re mad about him crossing the Seine River holding the American flag with the entire USA Olympic team. I don’t get it #OlympicGames pic.twitter.com/XF609KHcvy
— CleWest (@erjmanlasvegas) July 27, 2024
While Hart enjoyed his joke, Brunson seemingly didn’t appreciate it much and rolled his eyes at his Knicks teammate. While the duo poked fun at James’ expense, the gravity of his achievement isn’t lost on either player.
Some of the greatest players in the game’s history have represented Team USA at the Olympics. Micheal Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and several other first-ballot Hall of Famers have played for the US at the Summer Games.
However, James was the first men’s basketball player ever to earn the honor of being America’s flagbearer. It’s a testament to his greatness and how revered he is in his nation. The three-time Olympic champion understood how special it was to be picked for the task. When asked about his thoughts, he said,
“It’s special in the fact that you get the opportunity to represent your country and in another fashion to be able to understand how prestigious the moment is for someone to be the flagbearer and wave the flag not only for us as a Men’s National Team, but for all Olympics. I hold that with the utmost honor.”
James understood his responsibility and created an iconic moment out of it. The image of him waving the flag and spearheading the USA’s charge at the Paris Olympics will live forever.
