It is hard to believe nearly 20 years have passed since LeBron James was approached by team executive Jerry Colangelo and Mike Krzyzewski with a simple but colossal challenge: make America great again at basketball.
The nation that dominated Olympic hoops at the introduction in 1936, that won every game it played until the 1972 Soviet Union team was given three chances to steal the gold medal in Munich, that reinvented the sport at the international level with the introduction of the Dream Team in 1992, had fallen into complete disrepair by the start of the 21 st century.
At the 2002 FIBA World Cup – played in the nation’s basketball heartland, Indianapolis – a wretched United States entry finished sixth. At the Olympics in Greece two years later, they lost three times, which is half the defeats in the national team’s history at the Games. James agreed to be part of that squad, then was granted only 11 minutes a game of playing time.
After such an experience, James would have had plenty of reason to decline another opportunity to wear USA Basketball across his chest.
Except for one thing: He is LeBron James.
Of course he said yes. And naturally he succeeded, brilliantly. And, even at age 39, he is back to do this again. And that is just one of many reasons he is a magnificent choice by his fellow American athletes to carry the American flag Friday at the Opening Ceremonies in Paris.
James called it an “incredible honor” to be chosen by his fellow Olympians. “This responsibility means everything,” he said, suggesting he will carry it for all those across the nation “with big aspirations.” His dedication to his sport, and to its American roots, has carried him to this prominent position.
James will be one of two U.S. flagbearers at the Games, the second to be announced Tuesday. In the release announcing his selection, James noted without description his challenging beginnings in Akron, implying how far he has come from there to his current standing: Olympic gold medalist, All-Star, NBA champion, billionaire.
“Sports have the power to bring us all together,” he said, “and I’m proud to be a part of this important moment.”
James has been the ideal 21 st -century athlete. He is an elite performer who has won four NBA championships, led his team to the NBA Finals 10 times and earned 20 All-NBA awards. He has scored more points than anyone, ever, and ranks behind only three others in assists. He has been league MVP and Finals MVP four times each.
He has been on the public stage since 2001, when he famously shared his wealth of athletic gifts with those attending the ABCD Camp in New Jersey and made it obvious he could rank with the greatest to play the sport. Throughout that time, there has been no scandal, no incident, no drama greater than “The Decision”, the overwrought televised announcement of his free agent departure from the Cavaliers to the Heat. And even that raised money for charity. He has been with the same woman, Savannah, since they met during James’ time at St. Vincent-St. Mary High in Akron and have been married since 2013. They have raised three children together.
James has played 54 times for his country since agreeing to become the most important part of the Redeem Team effort. His late-game layup against South Sudan in a surprisingly difficult exhibition Saturday improved USA Basketball’s record in those games to 53-1, including gold medals at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics.
James has been publicly active in trying to make the world better, to make the country better. The LeBron James Foundation was founded in 2004, starting small with the distribution of bicycles and backpacks to underprivileged youth and growing to the formation of a public elementary school in Akron, the I PROMISE School, which serves at-risk children in grades 1-8 and also provides resources to their family members including financial literacy instruction, mental health and legal aid and instruction to assist those without high school diplomas with obtaining GEDs.
He has been unafraid to stand forward in times of controversy, including his public advocacy for New York resident Eric Garner in 2014 and for Breonna Taylor of Louisville in 2020, both of whom died from police force that led to changes in regulations, the firings of officers and multi-million-dollar legal settlements for their families.
“If it feels important to me then I respond,” James told Sports Illustrated in 2014. “If it doesn’t, I don’t. There are a lot of issues I have not talked about. For me, it is about knowledge and about a gut feeling that hits home for you. You feel it, and go about it.”
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James did not participate in the 2016 or 2020 Olympics, which the U.S. won without him, and the basic act of accepting an invitation this time automatically made him the oldest player ever to be a part of a men’s USA Basketball roster for the Games. Why is he here?
“At this point in my career, I still, I have a lot to give, and Team USA has given a lot to me,” James told the Today Show. “So I feel like it's an opportunity for me to give back.”
He’s done a lot of giving during his career. Now, his U.S. Olympic teammates have given to him an honor that may be impossible to supersede. He will ride in a boat along the Seine carrying the Stars and Stripes and passing by the Eiffel Tower. It’s an image that should be thrilling to all Americans.
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