Being selected to compete 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 at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics. These individuals — one man and one woman — are chosen by their counterparts on Team USA and will lead the delegation of more than 350 athletes on the world’s biggest stage.
Who took top honors among the 592 U.S. athletes at the Paris Games? Here’s what to know about the country’s flag bearers at the 2024 Games opening ceremony.
Who are the US Olympic flag bearers for the 2024 Olympics?
- Male flag bearer: Lebron James
- Female flag bearer:Coco Gauff
Team USA announced Monday that LeBron James will be its male flag bearer for the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics. Coco Gauff was announced as the female flag bearer on Wednesday, two days before the ceremony.
James and Gauff will become the second duo to co-coach the United States at the Summer Olympics. WNBA star Sue Bird and Eddy Alvarez, who won 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 men’s basketball player to serve as Team USA’s flag bearer. He is the third basketball player to receive the honor overall, as Bird (2021) and Dawn Staley (2000) both carried the flag while representing Team USA women’s basketball.
Gauff, the world No. 2, is the first American player to be the flag bearer for Team USA. At just 20 years old, she will be the youngest flag bearer at the opening ceremony in the team’s history.
Why LeBron James is an Olympic flag bearer
James was chosen as Olympic flag bearer by his peers, who voted for the honorees in a poll conducted by the Team USA Athletes’ Commission.
It’s easy to see why James was chosen. The 39-year-old is competing in his fourth Olympics and led Team USA to gold medals in his last two appearances at Beijing 2008 and London 2012.
James’ 273 points are the third-most ever scored by an American in the Olympics, behind only Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony. He could surpass Anthony in Paris if all goes well for Team USA.
| Range | Player | Points scored |
| 1 | Kevin Durant | 435 |
| 2 | Carmelo Anthony | 336 |
| 3 | Lebron James | 273 |
James has publicly stated that the 2024 Summer Games will be his final Olympics, so it makes sense to honor him for being one of the oldest faces of USA basketball.
“Being chosen 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 his statement announcing James as standard-bearer.
Why Coco Gauff is the Olympic flag bearer
Like James, Gauff was chosen by her peers to be the flag bearer for Team USA. The vote was conducted by the Team USA Athletes’ Commission and made the 20-year-old the first tennis player to carry the U.S. flag at the Opening Ceremony.
Gauff’s selection should come as no surprise. The tennis player 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 clash.
Gauff is the reigning US Open champion and has reached the semifinals in three of her last four Grand Slam appearances. She has won 75 percent of her matches at majors and has taken over from Serena Williams to establish herself as the best active American player.
Still, Gauff was surprised to have earned that honor in her first Olympics. The surprise was evident on her face when her teammate, Chris Eubanks, revealed her selection.
Flag bearer of the opening ceremony @CocoGauff. ??
The moment Coco received the news from her teammate. @chris_eubanks96… ?#ParisOlympics photo.twitter.com/yjIWPjm6J1
— Team USA (@TeamUSA) July 24, 2024
“Never in a million years did I think I would have the honor of carrying the American flag for Team USA at the Opening Ceremony,” Gauff said in a statement released by the USOPC. “I couldn’t be more proud to lead my teammates alongside LeBron as we showcase our dedication and passion on the biggest stage there is, at a time when we can bring together athletes and fans 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 since the 1908 London Olympics.
| Year | Athlete | Sport |
| 1908 | Ralph Rosa | Athletics |
| 1912 | George Bonhag | Athletics |
| 1920 | Patrick McDonald | Athletics |
| 1924 | Patrick McDonald | Athletics |
| 1928 | Lemuel (Bud) Houser | Athletics |
| 1932 | F. Morgan Taylor | Athletics |
| 1936 | Alfred Jochim | Gym |
| 1948 | Ralph Craig | About yachts |
| 1952 | Norman Armitage | Fencing |
| 1956 | Norman Armitage | Fencing |
| Warren Wooford | Equestrian | |
| 1960 | Rafer Johnson | Athletics |
| 1964 | William Parry O’Brien | Athletics |
| 1968 | Janice Lee Romary | Fencing |
| 1972 | Olga Fikotova Connolly | Athletics |
| 1976 | Gary Hall | Swim |
| 1984 | Edward Burke | Athletics |
| 1988 | Evelyn Ashford | Athletics |
| 1992 | Francie Larrieu Smith | Athletics |
| nineteen ninety six | Bruce Baumgartner | Struggle |
| 2000 | Meidl Cliff | Canoe/Kayak |
| 2004 | Dawn Staley | Basketball |
| 2008 | Lopez Lomong | Athletics |
| 2012 | Mariel Zagunis | Fencing |
| 2016 | Michael Phelps | Swim |
| 2021 | Eddy Alvarez | Baseball |
| Sue Bird | Basketball | |
| 2024 | Lebron James | Basketball |
| Coco Gauff | Tennis |
Team USA has only had two flag bearers once before Tokyo 2021. That was during the 1956 Olympics, when the equestrian events at the Summer Games were held in Stockholm, Sweden, instead of the host city, Melbourne, due to Australia’s immigration laws surrounding horses.
Norman Armitage led the US delegation to the Melbourne ceremony, while Wooford represented the United States in Stockholm at the equestrian events, which took place five months before the start of the Olympic Games.