LeBron James holding the flag became a new George Washington meme at the Olympic opening ceremony
NBA superstar LeBron James made his Olympic return in Paris this year, joining Team USA for the first time since the 2012 London Games.
In what could potentially be the last Olympic appearance for James, who is 39, he was given quite the prestigious honor as he was a flagbearer for the U.S. Olympic delegation during the opening ceremony on Friday alongside tennis star Coco Gauff.
With the ceremony taking place along the River Seine, the image of James leading Team USA while wielding the American flag on a boat as the rain poured down became an instant meme with many fans comparing the scene to the famous painting of George Washington crossing the Delaware River during the American revolution.
LeBron James holding the flag as rain pours down #OlympicGames #Paris2024 #OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/ft3HtkIlr2
— FADE (@FadeAwayMedia) July 26, 2024
To be fair, it’s pretty easy to see the resemblance, and unsurprisingly, many people drew the same comparison.
General Lebron James crossing the Delaware pic.twitter.com/NBhGaehd2C
— Drea Blackwell (@KSBWDrea) July 26, 2024
LeBron James looks like he just founded America pic.twitter.com/RZmyUjgen9
— NBA Memes (@NBAMemes) July 26, 2024
LeBron James crosses the Delaware pic.twitter.com/eQKuNwVNge
— Megan Swanick (@Meg_Swanick) July 26, 2024
The memeable moment also made history as James became the first male basketball player to bear the United States flag during the Olympic opening ceremony. James led the U.S. to back-to-back gold medals in each of his last two Olympic appearances, and he now looks to lead it to its fifth consecutive gold medal.
Godspeed, General LeBron, sir!