Less than a week before the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, Stephen Curry stood in front of his USA teammates and coaches and delivered some unforgettable news.
“You’re going to be waving the flag in Paris, my friend,” Curry said, delivering his message to just one person in a packed room.
Voted by his fellow U.S. Olympians, LeBron James will be the flag bearer for the U.S. men’s basketball team at Friday’s opening ceremony, becoming the first player to receive that honor from the U.S. men’s basketball team. Anthony Davis sat to James’ right, surrounded by a crowd of stars and future Hall of Famers. There was a lot of presence, but apart from those three, the rest of the seats in the room were practically empty.
As Curry addressed the group, a straight line passed from him to James and then to Kevin Durant behind him. Durant was the first to congratulate James, who turned his left shoulder and patted his former supervillain, the man who wore Curry’s jersey and shot over his head in the NBA Finals. The origin stories of Curry and James’ four-year Finals rival both began in the same Akron hospital that nominated him to make more history.
His thoughts went far beyond the never-ending list of basketball accomplishments.
In his video nomination message, the Warriors franchise icon spoke of James’ impact on the world, both on and off the court. Curry cited James’ dedication to improving the community through the LeBron James Foundation and I Promise School as two examples. His basketball stats, record-breaking records, flags and trophies already speak for themselves.
In Paris, young players like Anthony Edwards, Joel Embiid and Jayson Tatum will have their moment to shine as the new faces of the NBA for the next few years. But it’s not yet time. It all hinges on three names: Curry, Durant and James. Three of the most iconic figures in a generation of basketball fans playing together for the first and last time for something that means more than the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
They have rightly chosen the right representative to be the face of our country in these unprecedented times.
“I never thought about it, never even dreamed about it, but it’s such an honor,” James said. “To be able to share that moment with all of you makes it even more memorable. I’m so grateful. Team USA has given so much to all of us, and to me, over the last 20 years.
“I understand that right now our country is divided, and I hope that this moment, that moment, will bring us together, unite us, even if just for a moment, for a few hours, as we cross the waters of Paris. I accept that responsibility with great honor.”
Curry will be playing in his first Olympic Games. If Durant wins gold, he will have four Olympic medals and become the first U.S. team to reach that milestone. James is seeking his third gold medal and fourth Olympic medal, two decades after his disappointing debut.
It was 2004, the summer after James finished his rookie season with the Cleveland Cavaliers, when he was just a 19-year-old teenager. The U.S. team had lost its third, fourth and fifth Olympic games and returned home with a bronze medal that looked more like a stapled blue yogurt lid than a prize to be worn with reverence. James went on to win gold with the U.S. team in 2008 and 2012 and hasn’t been back to the Olympics since.
But James, entering his 22nd NBA season, was somehow Team USA’s best chance to win before the game really mattered.
A historic upset against South Sudan was averted when James, playing pure bull with his head down, was unstoppable, hitting a one-point game-winning basket with eight seconds left. A few days later, against a medal-chasing Germany team, Team USA was again an unstoppable force, scoring the final 11 U.S. points with 4:20 left to singlehandedly outscore Germany by three and secure a come-from-behind victory.
Off the court, he started a business: LeBron James Enterprises. He is the NBA’s first billionaire and is so valuable both as a player and as an asset that his son is now his teammate.
In 1992, when the Dream Team forever changed the U.S. men’s national basketball team and the globalization of basketball, Michael Jordan was 29. So was Charles Barkley. Scottie Pippen was 26 and Chris Mullin was 28.
The oldest player on the Dream Team was Larry Bird, who at age 35 had just completed his 13th and final season in the NBA. The second-oldest superstar was 32-year-old Magic Johnson, who had just retired from basketball outside of that year’s All-Star Game after disclosing that he was HIV positive in November 1991. Clyde Drexler and John Stockton were the only other players over 30 years old.
James turns 40 at the end of December. Time has stolen seconds, minutes and hours from the King. As he wears the USA on his chest one last time, his clock continues to tick.
Curry was the perfect man to nominate James for the U.S. team. A beaming Durant capped off the trio’s celebration. Fans of both teams can set aside allegiances and understand that LeBron playing for his country in his final Olympics was the crowning achievement for the Chosen One in the No. 6 jersey, cosplaying as Captain America.
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