LeBron tapped as flag-bearer

MANILA, Philippines — LeBron James wasn’t totally sure what the opening ceremony was all about when he was picked for his first Olympics in 2004.

This time, he’ll be one of the stars of the show.

James, 39, has been picked by his fellow US Olympians to serve as the male flag-bearer for the Americans in Friday night’s opening ceremony for the Paris Games. He becomes the third basketball player – and the first men’s player – to carry the US flag at the start of an Olympics, joining Dawn Staley for the Athens Games in 2004 and Sue Bird for the Tokyo Games that happened in 2021.