As the 2024 Olympics begin in Paris this Friday, some of the NBA’s biggest stars will feature prominently in Friday’s Opening Ceremony in Paris. The Opening Ceremony is always an impressive spectacle and for the first time in history, this year’s ceremony will be held outside a stadium. Rather than the typical parade of nations into a track and field stadium, this year’s ceremony will take place along the Seine with boats for each national delegation. As a result of the unique venue, it will be open to all and is expected to be the largest in the history of the Olympics.
At the center of the action, Team USA will participate in the parade of athletes with NBA superstar LeBron James as the team’s men’s flagbearer. Team USA made an official announcement early on Monday:
LeBron will be the first men’s basketball player to receive the honor, after being selected by his fellow Olympians following a nomination by Stephen Curry. While Curry is in his first Olympics, LeBron will be playing in his fourth Olympic Games and was on the team that won the gold medal in 2008 in Beijing and 2012 in London.
In a statement from London where the team continues to prep for the competition, LeBron said “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.”
LeBron won’t be the only NBA superstar carrying the flag for his country this year, though. Giannis Antetkounmpo will be carrying the flag for Greece.
Here’s what Giannis had to say about the honor when asked about it earlier this month:
The duo of NBA stars join plenty of past hoopers to carry the flag, with the 2008 Games being especially notable. Manu Ginobli (Argentina), Dirk Nowitzki (Germany), Andrei Kirilenko (Russia) and Yao Ming (China) all had the honor of bearing their countries’ flags during the 2008 Olympic Opening Ceremony in Beijing.
The Men’s Olympic basketball competition tips off with the Preliminary Round getting underway the morning after the Opening Ceremony. The first game for Giannis and Greece is part of Day 1, while LeBron and Team USA don’t begin their quest for gold until Sunday, July 28, at 11:15 a.m. ET against Serbia.
In that matchup, Team USA is a -16 point favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook, where you can also make a variety of future picks including team scoring leader, team props for each game, how far each team will progress and which team will take home the gold medal.
With the competition less than a week from getting started, here are the odds of taking home the gold:
Be sure to stay locked in to DraftKings Network for coverage of the Olympic Basketball contests and other Olympic coverage throughout the next few weeks. This Friday’s event is sure to be spectacular and will be a great start to this summer’s celebration of international sport.
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All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook, lines and odds subject to change.
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