The Internet Kept Comparing LeBron James To George Washington During The Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony

The United States were led into the Opening Ceremony at the Paris Olympics by a pair of flag-bearers: LeBron James and Coco Gauff. The future Basketball Hall of Fame inductee and the 20-year-old superstar in the world of tennis are at the opposite ends of their careers, but their fellow Olympians chose them to represent the Stars and Stripes.

This Opening Ceremony was a little different, because instead of all the athletes walking into a stadium, everyone was put on a boat that went through the River Seine, which cuts right through the city. It led to some absolutely breathtaking moments , which remained the case when Team USA showed up late in the evening in the driving rain.

James held the flag up during this in what was both a really cool moment and something that the internet latched onto. While James is no stranger to getting meme’d, folks on Twitter ran with this one and kept making jokes comparing him to the famous painting of George Washington leading American troops to cross the Delaware River during the Revolutionary War.

The patriotism on display was off the charts.

As for when we’ll see James turn in his Opening Ceremony outfit for his USA Basketball uniform, the men’s team will take the floor for the first time against Nikola Jokic and Serbia on Sunday.