Team USA men’s basketball star LeBron James was recently named one of his country’s flag bearers for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Some fans joked that one Olympic athlete may not be happy about it.
On Monday, the US Olympic & Paralympic Committee announced James would be the first men’s basketball player to be named a US Olympic flag bearer. He became the third basketball player to be bestowed the honor, joining Sue Bird (Tokyo 2020) and Dawn Staley (Athens 2004).
The news had a handful people thinking about Noah Lyles. Last year, the US Olympic sprinter drew the ire of NBA stars such as Kevin Durant and Devin Booker for his polarizing rant about NBA champions being called “world champions.”
Several fans saw the humor in Lyles having to walk behind the NBA’s biggest star during the 2024 Olympics’ opening ceremony.
Noah Lyles realizing he'll have to walk behind an NBA player carrying the flag for USA…pic.twitter.com/cW6Nv6ETMo
— NBA Memes (@NBAMemes) July 22, 2024
Noah Lyles standing behind LeBron 🙂↕️ https://t.co/6zvZEBJxml pic.twitter.com/xbn3H2nEjJ
— Bino (@AnimeGuru100) July 22, 2024
Noah Lyles out there hating he didn’t get to hold the flag lol https://t.co/zKlUGHgCwN
— Kyle D (@mrhypeflicks) July 22, 2024
Imagine Noah Lyles snatched the flag from Lebron during the Olympic ceremony and does a lap with it around the track
— Moose (@Moose_NBA) July 22, 2024
The opening festivities will be held on Friday. Instead of the usual ceremony inside an Olympic stadium, the 2024 opening will be held on the Seine river in Paris. Athletes will board boats and drift through the river, cutting through the center of the city from east to west.
The US Olympic committee on Tuesday will announce the female flag bearer who will join James.
