Coco Gauff is as starstruck as anyone if they’re beside LeBron James.
At the 2024 Olympic Opening Ceremony in Paris on Friday, Team USA captain and fellow flagbearer LeBron James was featured in a video shared by tennis star Coco Gauff on her Instagram story, where she appeared visibly starstruck
The video captures James, along with Gauff and other Olympic athletes, aboard a boat navigating the Seine River.
“This is crazy… with LeBron James.” 😂
Coco Gauff couldn’t believe she was the USA Flag Bearer with LeBron James.
(via @CocoGauff / IG)
pic.twitter.com/yXuZ7WJtGh— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) July 27, 2024
Coco Gauff and LeBron James as the flagbearers for USA
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
James and Gauff served as flag bearers for Team USA. They will now aim to lead the United States to gold in their respective events.
At just 20 years old, Gauff is the youngest American to be named flag-bearer and the first tennis player to receive the honor. Additionally, she is the first true member of Gen Z to achieve this distinction.
After missing the 2020 Tokyo Games due to a positive COVID-19 test result, Gauff will make her Olympic debut this year. The 20-year-old tennis sensation aims to make a significant impact in what is likely the first of many Olympic appearances.
James is making his fourth Olympic appearance this year. After debuting in 2004, he helped Team USA win gold in 2008 and 2012. Although he sat out the 2016 and 2020 Games, he’s back this year to join one of Team USA’s most talented lineup.
A problematic Olympic opening ceremony
The opening ceremony descended into chaos as torrential downpours and grey skies overshadowed the event along the River Seine, leaving 320,000 spectators drenched.
France’s plan to hold the opening ceremony outdoors instead of inside a stadium backfired in the worst way possible. Parisians, celebrities, politicians, and royals from around the world were forced to seek shelter from the torrential rain.
The meticulously planned open-air parade began at 1:30pm ET, featuring an incredible performance by American superstar Lady Gaga. She wowed the crowd with a stunning rendition of “Folie Bergère,” performed entirely in French.
France’s tricolor flag unfurled dramatically from the Pont d’Austerlitz Bridge as 6,800 athletes, donning plastic ponchos, tried to maintain high spirits while navigating the renowned waterway in a massive flotilla of 85 boats.
Weather experts who foresaw that the unseasonably rainy July weather would spell trouble for the outdoor ceremony seem to have been correct. The heavy downpours drowned out the music for viewers at home, and the screen at the Trocadéro, where thousands of spectators had gathered, experienced a blackout due to the dismal weather.
Presentation and performances for the Olympics
The ceremony began with a short film featuring French football legend Zinedine Zidane carrying the Olympic torch. He then passed it to local children, who appeared in real life on the riverbanks.Following the passing of the torch, a classic Parisian Can-can dance was performed, with dancers in pink costumes bringing a splash of color to the overcast skies for both the riverside audience and those watching globally
Then, heavy metal band Gojira rocked the event with a song inspired by the French Revolution’s violence. The parade also featured tributes to Victor Hugo’s “Les Miserables” and a depiction of a ‘headless’ Marie Antoinette along the route.
As the dance medley plays out along the riverbanks, the Olympic torch is transported across the city’s rooftops by an acrobatic free-runner.
Coco Gauff will kick off her competition on Saturday in women’s doubles and will also compete in women’s singles over the weekend.
While LeBron James and Team USA will start their competition on Sunday against a Serbia team led by Nikola Jokić.
