A place shared on Facebook says basketball star LeBron James has been “instantly rejected” from being the flag bearer at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Verdict: False
The claim comes from a satirical website. James has been confirmed to be a flag bearer for Team USA by several news outlets.
Fact check:
This year’s Olympics opening ceremony takes place on the River Seine in Paris, making it the first time in modern history that an Olympic opening ceremony has been held in a location other than a stadium outdoors, according to NPR. The ceremony is supposed to have about 300,000 spectators who will watch the parade of more than 10,000 athletes, the outlet said.
The Facebook post claims that James was rejected as the flag bearer for the 2024 Paris Olympics. The post shows an image of James in a Team USA Olympic jersey.
Overlay text reads: “Breaking: LeBron James’ appeal to be flag bearer for Paris 2024 Olympics Instantly rejected, ‘Doesn’t represent America.’
The post is inaccurate, though. James will be the flag bearer with US Open champion Coco Gauff, second AP News. The two were chosen as flag bearers through votes cast by athletes on the US Olympic team, according to The New York Times. (RELATED: Does this video show Olympic equestrian Charlotte Dujardin hitting a horse?)
The claim was originally published Esspots, where it was labeled as satire. The site is “About us“The page says that Esspots specializes in ‘Satire and Parody News’ and is ‘your one-stop destination for satirical news and commentary about the United States of America.’
Check Your Fact has reached out to a spokesperson for the US Olympic basketball team for comment and will update this piece accordingly if a comment is received.
