PARIS – Being chosen to be your country’s flag bearer is a great honor. LeBron James was the fitting choice to be the men’s flag bearer for the U.S. team. The NBA’s all-time leading scorer, four-time champion, four-time MVP and soon-to-be three-time Olympic gold medalist, James is the best basketball player of his generation. He is widely regarded as either the No. 1 or No. 2 basketball player of all time.
“It’s a real honor,” James said about serving as the flag bearer for the U.S. team. Via USA Basketball“I’m truly grateful. Team USA has given so much to all of us and to me over the past 20 years. I understand the country is divided right now, but I hope that this moment and that moment will unite us and bring us together. … I’m very honored and grateful for that responsibility.”
Now that James has added the title of flag bearer to his Hall of Fame resume, should the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Organizing Committee nominate him as a torchbearer for the 2028 Games?
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The late decathlon gold medalist Rafer Johnson lit the Olympic cauldron at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Muhammad Ali famously lit the Olympic cauldron at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
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Who will hold that honor in 2028? It’s not too early to start thinking about possible options. USA TODAY Sports has selected the top five candidates to light the torch at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Michael Jordan
Six-time NBA champion, six-time NBA Finals MVP and five-time MVP, Jordan’s resume speaks for itself: he is one of the greatest icons, if not the greatest, in the history of sports.
Jordan is considered by many to be the greatest basketball player of all time and won two Olympic gold medals, including one in 1992 as a key member of the Dream Team.
Jordan seems like the logical choice: He was named the best North American athlete of the 20th century by ESPN.
Needless to say, his Jordan Brand remains a major force in sports fashion to this day.
LeBron James
James was named the flag bearer for the U.S. national team at the Paris Olympics, the first men’s basketball player to do so.
The 39-year-old NBA superstar is a four-time NBA Champion, four-time NBA Finals MVP, four-time MVP, 20-time NBA All-Star and is also the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.
James is already a part of Los Angeles history, having won one of his four championships with the Lakers and becoming the NBA’s all-time leading scorer in the purple and gold.
Michael Phelps
There’s a strong argument to be made that Phelps should light the torch: He is the most decorated athlete in Olympic history with 28 medals, and also holds the record for the most gold medals won in an Olympic Games (23).
Phelps has competed in a total of five Olympic Games and was selected as the flag bearer for the U.S. team at the 2016 Olympics.
Serena Williams
Williams has won 23 Grand Slam titles, second all-time, and is considered the greatest female tennis player of all time. She has also won four Olympic gold medals (three in doubles and one in singles).
The retired tennis star’s early start in the Los Angeles suburb of Compton adds to his intrigue.
Tiger Woods
Prior to the 2016 Rio Olympics, golf had only been an Olympic sport twice before (1900 and 1904). Golf has been an Olympic sport in the past three Olympic Games, but Woods has never competed.
While Woods’ absence from the Olympics may diminish his chances of lighting the torch, there’s no denying that he is one of the greatest players in the history of golf, or the game of golf, and one of the most accomplished athletes in professional golf, having won 15 major championships.
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