LeBron James and Coco Gauff Discuss Representing ‘Our Culture’ at Rain-Soaked 2024 Opening Ceremony
LeBron James and Coco Gauff made their country proud as flag bearers for Team USA during the Friday, July 26, opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The two athletes were interviewed by NBC's Maria Taylor while traveling down the Seine river, all three of them drenched in rain after a downfall in Paris.
"We’re seeing a lot of water, first off," Gauff, 20, joked. "But also some amazing people in the crowd. A lot of amazing athletes. We’re all here hyped to represent Team USA."
Gauff gushed about sharing the flag-bearing distinction with "the GOAT here, Mr. LeBron James."
"I’m so excited and I can’t wait to do well in the Games," Gauff continued.
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James, 39, called being named flag bearer "an honor" that allowed he and Gauff to "represent our culture, represent where we come from."
"It gives everybody so much hope where we come from," the Lakers star continued. "That’s all we can ask for. We take it with the utmost responsibility."
The NBA star and the tennis player were selected by their fellow Team USA athletes to serve as flag bearers through a vote after Stephen Curry and Chris Eubanks nominated James and Gauff, respectively. James is the third member of USA Basketball to receive the honor after Dawn Staley in 2004 and Sue Bird in 2020; Gauff, meanwhile, is the first Team USA tennis player to take on the role.
“It’s an incredible honor to represent the United States on this global stage, especially in a moment that can bring the whole world together,” James said in a statement earlier this week.
He continued: “For a kid from Akron, this responsibility means everything to not only myself, but to my family, all the kids in my hometown, my teammates, fellow Olympians and so many people across the country with big aspirations. Sports have the power to bring us all together, and I’m proud to be a part of this important moment.”
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James is returning for his fourth Olympic games after winning a bronze medal in 2004 and a gold medal in 2008 and 2012.
Gauff, for her part, will make her Olympics debut after withdrawing from the Tokyo games in 2021 when she contracted Covid-19.
Earlier this week, Gauff shared on the Today show that she “was completely shocked” by her selection as a flag bearer, adding that the possibility “never would’ve crossed my mind.”
“It made me cry yesterday,” she elaborated. “I didn’t want to cry in front of my teammates. When Chris told me, I was holding it in, but when I called my mom, I started crying because I think it’s even more special that so many incredible people — even now I get emotional thinking about it — but so many incredible people just think that I am worthy of this. It means a lot, truly.”
Gauff noted that she had not yet met James, but he had sent her “words of encouragement” via social media in the past.
As for her delayed Olympics debut following her 2021 withdrawal, she said, “It’s crazy how some of the darkest moments in your life can prep you for the biggest one.”
She concluded: “And not only am I here, playing my first Olympics, I have the honor to be the flag bearer, which is something I never thought in my lifetime. I usually have goals, and I wouldn’t say predict, but I believe I can do certain things. And I definitely would never have believed or predicted that I could do this.”
