LeBron James and Coco Gauff received one of the greatest honors an American athlete can get at the Olympics, and it's not a gold medal.
The NBA superstar and tennis champion were the Team USA flag bearers for the Olympic Opening Ceremony. The duo led hundreds of American athletes in the Parade of Nations through the Seine, as the U.S. went out second-to-last with the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics on deck as the next Summer Games.
Having two flag bearers for one country is a new development. Only one athlete from each participating nation was chosen as the flag bearer for the Opening Ceremony until the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, when a rule change allowed for one male and one female athlete to carry out the distinction.
James and Gauff won't be the only ones to bear the American flag during the 2024 Olympics. Swimming icon Katie Ledecky and rowing gold medalist Nick Mead were named the U.S. flag bearers for the Closing Ceremony, which will be held on Sunday, Aug. 11.
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Before Ledecky and Mead lead Team USA to close things out in Paris, here is a look at the company they will join as Olympic flag bearers.
List of flag bearers in U.S. Olympic history
Here are all of the U.S. athletes to carry the flag in an Opening or Closing Ceremony at the Summer and Winter Olympics:
2024 Paris Olympics
- Opening Ceremony: LeBron James, basketball; Coco Gauff, tennis
- Closing Ceremony: Katie Ledecky, swimming; Nick Mead, rowing
2022 Beijing Olympics
- Opening Ceremony: John Shuster, curling; Brittany Bowe, speed skating
- Closing Ceremony: Elana Meyers Taylor, bobsled
2020 Tokyo Olympics
- Opening Ceremony: Eddy Alvarez, baseball; Sue Bird, basketball
- Closing Ceremony: Kara Winger, track and field
2018 PyeongChang Olympics
- Opening Ceremony: Erin Hamlin, luge
- Closing Ceremony: Jessie Diggins, cross-country skiing
2016 Rio Olympics
- Opening Ceremony: Michael Phelps, swimming
- Closing Ceremony: Simone Biles, gymnastics
2014 Sochi Olympics
- Opening Ceremony: Todd Lodwick, Nordic combined
- Closing Ceremony: Julie Chu, hockey
2012 London Olympics
- Opening Ceremony: Mariel Zagunis, fencing
- Closing Ceremony: Bryshon Nellum, track and field
2010 Vancouver Olympics
- Opening Ceremony: Mark Grimmette, luge
- Closing Ceremony: Bill Demong, Nordic combined
2008 Beijing Olympics
- Opening Ceremony: Lopez Lomong, track and field
- Closing Ceremony: Khatuna Lorig, archery
2006 Torino Olympics
- Opening Ceremony: Chris Witty, speed skating
- Closing Ceremony: Joey Cheek, speed skating
2004 Athens Olympics
- Opening Ceremony: Dawn Staley, basketball
- Closing Ceremony: Mia Hamm, soccer
2002 Salt Lake City Olympics
- Opening Ceremony: Amy Peterson, short track speed skating
- Closing Ceremony: Brian Shimer, bobsled
2000 Sydney Olympics
- Opening Ceremony: Cliff Meidl, canoeing
- Closing Ceremony: Rulon Gardner, wrestling
1998 Nagano Olympics
- Opening Ceremony: Eric Flaim, speed skating
- Closing Ceremony: Cammi Granato, hockey
1996 Atlanta Olympics
- Opening Ceremony: Bruce Baumgartner, wrestling
- Closing Ceremony: Michael Matz, equestrian
1994 Lillehammer Olympics
- Opening Ceremony: Cammy Myler, luge
- Closing Ceremony: Dan Jansen, speed skating
1992 Barcelona Olympics
- Opening Ceremony: Francie Larrieu Smith, track and field
- Closing Ceremony: Peter Westbrook, fencing
1992 Albertville Olympics
- Opening Ceremony: Bill Koch, cross-country skiing
1988 Seoul Olympics
- Opening Ceremony: Evelyn Ashford, track and field
1988 Calgary Olympics
- Opening Ceremony: Lyle Nelson, biathlon
1984 Los Angeles Olympics
- Opening Ceremony: Ed Burke, track and field
1984 Sarajevo Olympics
- Opening Ceremony: Frank Masley, luge
1980 Lake Placid Olympics
- Opening Ceremony: Scott Hamilton, figure skating
1976 Montreal Olympics
- Opening Ceremony: Gary Hall, swimming
1976 Innsbruck Olympics
- Opening Ceremony: Cindy Nelson, alpine skiing
1972 Munich Olympics
- Opening Ceremony: Olga Fikotova Connolly, track and field
1972 Sapporo Olympics
- Opening Ceremony: Dianne Holum, speed skating
1968 Mexico City Olympics
- Opening Ceremony: Janice Romary, fencing
1968 Grenoble Olympics
- Opening Ceremony: Terry McDermott, speed skating
1964 Tokyo Olympics
- Opening Ceremony: Parry O'Brien, track and field
1964 Innsbruck Olympics
- Opening Ceremony: Bill Disney, speed skating
1960 Rome Olympics
- Opening Ceremony: Rafer Johnson, track and field
1960 Squaw Valley Olympics
- Opening Ceremony: Don McDermott, speed skating
1956 Melbourne Olympics
- Opening Ceremony: Norman Armitage, fencing
1956 Cortina d'Ampezzo Olympics
- Opening Ceremony: James Bickford, bobsled
1952 Helsinki Olympics
- Opening Ceremony: Norman Armitage, fencing
1952 Oslo Olympics
- Opening Ceremony: James Bickford, bobsled
1948 London Olympics
- Opening Ceremony: Ralph Craig, track and field
1948 St. Moritz Olympics
- Opening Ceremony: Jack Heaton, skeleton
1936 Berlin Olympics
- Opening Ceremony: Al Jochim, gymnastics
1936 Garmisch-Partenkirchen Olympics
- Opening Ceremony: Rolf Monsen, cross-country skiing
1932 Los Angeles Olympics
- Opening Ceremony: Morgan Taylor, track and field
1932 Lake Placid Olympics
- Opening Ceremony: Billy Fiske, bobsled
1928 Amsterdam Olympics
- Opening Ceremony: Bud Houser, track and field
1928 St. Moritz Olympics
- Opening Ceremony: Godfrey Dewey, president of Lake Placid Organizing Committee
1924 Paris Olympics
- Opening Ceremony: Pat McDonald, track and field
1924 Chamonix Olympics
- Opening Ceremony: Taffy Abel, hockey
1920 Antwerp Olympics
- Opening Ceremony: Pat McDonald, track and field
1912 Stockholm Olympics
- Opening Ceremony: George Bonhag, track and field
1908 London Olympics
- Opening Ceremony: Ralph Rose, track and field
