Although Team USA’s boat arrived late to the celebration, LeBron and Coco caught the eye of spectators and were enthusiastically applauded. The
During the historic Seine River opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics in 2024, tennis player Coco Gauff and NBA legend LeBron James led the American delegation. Four-time NBA MVP, four-time NBA champion, and career scoring leader LeBron was selected as the male athlete to represent the United States, while Gauff was later named as his female companion for the esteemed position. At the Summer Games, Coco became the youngest flag carrier for her nation and the first tennis player to do so.
It was the first opening ceremony held outside the main stadium in the history of the Olympics. A massive crowd of 300,000 people watched the major event live from Paris from specially constructed stands along the banks of the river, while another 200,000 watched from flats and balconies above.
Even though it was raining in Paris, the spectators continued to watch the historic event.
Although Team USA’s boat arrived late to the celebration, LeBron and Coco caught the eye of spectators and were enthusiastically applauded. For the unique occasion, the tennis phenom and NBA star wore white blazers. At the Olympic Opening Ceremony, LeBron became the first basketball player of the male gender to carry the flag. The USA’s supporters waited patiently for the team to arrive despite the heavy downpour that was occurring at the ceremony.
Zinedine Zidane, the FIFA World Cup winner and football legend from France, lit the Olympic flame to begin the opening ceremony. At the beginning of the ceremony, a pre-recorded video showed Zidane running and weaving through a traffic jam in Paris. After he gave the flame to a group of children traveling by metro, the children made their way through the Catacombs and eventually reached a boat. At that moment, the broadcast changed to a live view of the Seine River.
The spectacular opening ceremony featured performances by a number of musicians, with Lady Gaga serving as the first musical act—albeit one that was pre-recorded—of the grand celebration. The Grammy- and Oscar-winning artist began her concert by singing “Mon Truc en Plumes” by Zizi Jeanmaire on steps by the Seine River. Before she went to the piano, she was accompanied by a group of eight dancers holding pink feather fans.
