USA Olympic flag bearers: Why LeBron James, Coco Gauff were chosen to lead U.S. at 2024 opening ceremony

Jacob Camenker

USA Olympic flag bearers: Why LeBron James, Coco Gauff were chosen to lead U.S. at 2024 opening ceremony image

Being chosen to participate in the Olympics is one of the greatest honors an athlete can experience, but an even greater accolade awaits two Team USA athletes at the 2024 Summer Games.

The United States will choose two flag bearers to lead the country into the opening ceremony at the Paris Olympics. These individuals — one male and one female — are chosen by their Team USA counterparts and will lead the delegation of more than 350 athletes onto the world's greatest stage.

Who has earned the highest honors among the United States' 592 athletes at the Paris Games? Here's what to know about the country's flag bearers for the 2024 opening ceremony.

MORE: What to know about the Olympics' opening ceremony in 2024

Who are the U.S. Olympic flag bearers at the 2024 Olympics?

  • Male flag bearer: LeBron James
  • Female flag bearer: Coco Gauff

Team USA announced Monday that LeBron James would be its male flag bearer for the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics. Coco Gauff was announced as the female flag bearer Wednesday, two days ahead of the ceremony.

James and Gauff will become the second duo to co-lead the United States into the Summer Olympics. WNBA star Sue Bird and Eddy Alvarez — who earned silver medals in speed skating and baseball during his Olympic career — were the first pair to share the honors at the 2021 Tokyo Games.

James is the first-ever male basketball player to serve as a flag bearer for Team USA. He is the third basketball player to earn the honor overall, as Bird (2021) and Dawn Staley (2000) each carried the flag while representing the U.S. women's basketball team.

Gauff, the No. 2-ranked female tennis player in the world, is the first American tennis player to serve as a flag bearer for Team USA. At just 20 years old, she will be the youngest opening ceremony flag bearer in Team USA's history.

MORE: Kevin Durant injury update ahead of 2024 Olympics

Why LeBron James is an Olympic flag bearer

James was chosen as an Olympic flag bearer by his peers, who voted on the honorees in a poll conducted by the Team USA Athletes' Commission.

It's easy to understand why James was chosen. The 39-year-old is playing in his fourth Olympics and led Team USA to gold in his last two appearances in Beijing 2008 and London 2012.

James' 273 points scored are the third-most ever by an American man at the Olympics, behind only Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony. He could pass Anthony in Paris if all goes well for Team USA.

RankPlayerPoints scored
1Kevin Durant435
2Carmelo Anthony336
3LeBron James273

James has publicly stated the 2024 Summer Games will be his last Olympics, so it makes sense to honor him for being one of the long-time faces of USA Basketball.

"Being selected by your teammates to carry the flag is a tremendous honor – and a testament to LeBron’s passion for Team USA and his dedication to his sport," USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland said as part of her statement announcing James as flag bearer.

MORE: LeBron James saves Team USA from exhibition defeat vs. South Sudan

Why Coco Gauff is an Olympic flag bearer

Like James, Gauff was selected by her peers to serve as Team USA's flag bearer. The vote was conducted by the Team USA Athletes' Commission and made the 20-year-old the first tennis player ever to carry the flag for the United States at the opening ceremony.

Gauff's selection shouldn't be a surprise. She burst onto the scene as a 15-year-old at Wimbledon with a win over Venus Williams and has seen her star rise considerably in the five years since that matchup.

Gauff is the reigning US Open champion and has made it to the semifinals in three of her last four Grand Slam appearances. She has won 75 percent of her major tournament matches and has taken the torch from Serena Williams to establish herself as the best active American tennis player.

Even so, Gauff was surprised she had earned the honor at her first Olympics. The shock was apparent on her face when her selection was revealed by her teammate, Chris Eubanks.

"I never thought in a million years I would have the honor of carrying the American flag for Team USA in the Opening Ceremony," Gauff said in a statement released by the USOPC. "I could not be more proud to lead my teammates with LeBron as we showcase our dedication and passion on the biggest stage there is — at a moment where we can bring athletes and fans together from around the world."

U.S. Olympic flag bearers by year

Below is a look at Team USA's flag bearers at the Summer Games dating back to the 1908 London Olympics.

YearAthleteSport
1908Ralph RoseTrack and Field
1912George BonhagTrack and Field
1920Patrick McDonaldTrack and Field
1924Patrick McDonaldTrack and Field
1928Lemuel (Bud) HouserTrack and Field
1932F. Morgan TaylorTrack and Field
1936Alfred JochimGymnastics
1948Ralph CraigYachting
1952Norman ArmitageFencing
1956Norman ArmitageFencing
 Warren WoofordEquestrian
1960Rafer JohnsonTrack and Field
1964William Parry O’BrienTrack and Field
1968Janice Lee RomaryFencing
1972Olga Fikotova ConnollyTrack and Field
1976Gary HallSwimming
1984Edward BurkeTrack and Field
1988Evelyn AshfordTrack and Field
1992Francie Larrieu SmithTrack and Field
1996Bruce BaumgartnerWrestling
2000Cliff MeidlCanoe/Kayak
2004Dawn StaleyBasketball
2008Lopez LomongTrack and Field
2012Mariel ZagunisFencing
2016Michael PhelpsSwimming
2021Eddy AlvarezBaseball
 Sue BirdBasketball
2024LeBron JamesBasketball
 Coco GauffTennis

Team USA only had two flag bearers once before Tokyo 2021. That came during the 1956 Olympics, when equestrian events for the Summer Games were held in Stockholm, Sweden rather than host city Melbourne because of Australia's immigration laws surrounding horses.

As such, Norman Armitage led the U.S. delegation at the ceremony in Melbourne. Meanwhile, Wooford represented the United States in Stockholm at the equestrian events, which were held five months before the Olympics began.

Jacob Camenker

Jacob Camenker Photo

Jacob Camenker first joined The Sporting News as a fantasy football intern in 2018 after his graduation from UMass. He became a full-time employee with TSN in 2021 and now serves as a senior content producer with a particular focus on the NFL. Jacob worked at NBC Sports Boston as a content producer from 2019 to 2021. He is an avid fan of the NFL Draft and ranked 10th in FantasyPros’ Mock Draft Accuracy metric in both 2021 and 2022.