Back in 2004, long before she was the South Carolina basketball coach with three National Championships, Dawn Staley was nearing the end of her playing career and was given one of the most prestigious honors in all of United States athletics.
At the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, Dawn Staley was selected as one of two flag bearers for the United States, joining fellow national star Mia Hamm, who played for the United States Soccer Women's National Team. Staley carried Old Glory in the Opening Ceremonies, while Hamm was the bearer for the Closing Ceremonies. Both Staley and Hamm led their teams to gold medal wins in Athens.
As one of the greatest collegiate and professional players in the history of women's basketball who was likely in her last Olympics run, Staley was a clear pick to carry the Stars and Stripes. A similar story is playing out in 2024.
On Monday, news broke that LeBron James would be the flag bearer for the United States in 2024 at the Summer Olympics in Paris, France. James will join Staley and Sue Bird (Opening Ceremonies, 2020/2021) as the only basketball stars to be chosen to carry the Star Spangled Banner at the Olympic Games.
Like Staley and Bird before him, James is one of the most accomplished basketball players of all-time and is nearing the end of his career. At the age of 39 now, James probably will not be a participant in the 2028 Olympic Games in the United States when he is 43. He will lead a team that is an overwhelming favorite to win another gold medal in Paris.
Other prominent names to be flag bearers for the United States in past Olympics include Simone Biles (2016), Michael Phelps (2016), Francie Larrieu Smith (1992), Pat McDonald (1920 and 1924), and Ralph Rose (1908).