This will be an Olympics to remember for Coco Gauff.
The athlete has been selected as one of the U.S. flag bearers at the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics in Paris on July 26, alongside tennis star LeBron James, TODAY exclusively reported on July 24.
According to a press release, the duo was selected by a vote of their fellow Team USA players through a process led by the Team USA Player Committee, which serves as the voice and representative organization for Team USA players. Gauff and James become the second pair to share the honor. Gauff also becomes the first U.S. tennis player to serve as the flag bearer for Team USA.
Gauff, the world’s second-ranked women’s tennis player, will make her Olympic debut this year after withdrawing from the 2021 Tokyo Olympics due to COVID-19.
Gauff, who won the 2023 U.S. Open, will join Jessica Pegula, Danielle Collins, Emma Navarro and Desiree Krafcik on the U.S. women’s tennis team. Krafcik will play doubles with Navarro. Gauff and Pegula will also play doubles together.
“I am incredibly proud of Coco and know what a great tennis player she is, but more importantly what a great person she is,” Gauff’s U.S. Olympic teammate and friend Chris Eubanks, who nominated her, said in a statement.
“I can think of no one more deserving of this honor and I look forward to seeing her lead the U.S. delegation and raise the flag at the Opening Ceremony,” he added.
Gauff said she is focused on competing in the Olympics.
“This year especially, I want to win a medal. That’s one of the dreams I wanted to achieve as a tennis player,” she told TODAY in March.
“We are proud that Coco Gauff has been selected to join LeBron James as Team USA’s flag bearer in the Opening Ceremonies,” U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee CEO Sarah Hirshland said in a statement.
She added, “Being nominated for this honor by her teammates speaks volumes about Coco’s commitment to the sport and her role as a member of Team USA. I’m thrilled that she will begin her Olympic journey here in Paris and lead Team USA alongside LeBron to inspire fans across the U.S. and around the world on Friday night.”
It was previously announced on July 22 that James would also serve as flag bearer at the opening ceremony.
James is competing in his fourth Olympic Games as a member of the men’s basketball team, winning a bronze medal in 2004 and gold medals in 2008 and 2012.
“It is an incredible honor to represent the United States on this global stage, especially at this moment that brings the entire world together,” James said in a statement from the United States Basketball Association.
“As a kid from Akron, this responsibility means everything not only to me, but to my family, local kids, teammates, fellow Olympians and so many people across the country who have lofty aspirations. Sports have the power to bring us all together and I am honored to be a part of this important moment.”
James was nominated by the men’s Olympic basketball team and teammate Stephen Curry.
“We know what an honor it is to hold this position, and I think Bron’s entire career, on and off the court, speaks to why he is so deserving of this honor,” Curry said in the nomination video.
“He epitomizes what it means to be excellent on and off the court and has made it his lifelong passion to contribute and improve society in any way he can,” he added. “And his accomplishments speak for themselves.”
“We are pleased to announce LeBron James as one of two flag bearers who will lead Team USA in the Opening Ceremony and officially open the Paris 2024 Games,” Hirshland said.
James, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, is the first man to be named Team USA’s flag bearer and just the third member of USA Basketball. He joins five-time Olympic gold medalist Sue Bird (2020) and Olympic gold medalist player-coach Dawn Staley (2004) as the only basketball players to receive the honor.
When asked why she was returning to the Olympics earlier this summer, James said she still had an obligation to give it her all.
“I think it’s a timing thing,” he told TODAY’s Craig Melvin at the time. “Timing is everything. And at this point in my career, I still have a lot to contribute and Team USA has given me a lot, so I feel like this is an opportunity for me to give back.”
The opening ceremony will be broadcast live from Paris on NBC at 1:30 pm ET.
