Four-time NBA Champion Manu Ginobili was the flag bearer for Argentina in the 2008 Olympic Games.
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PARIS — Leading the Milwaukee Bucks to a championship is one thing. Carrying an entire country into the Olympics is another.
Do not underestimate his ability to do so, or the importance of it. Giannis Antetokounmpo was built for waving the flag of Greece in Friday’s Opening Ceremony, much like he was the cornerstone of the Bucks’ 2021 championship team.
He’s the son of Nigerian immigrants, born in Athens just 10 years before that city hosted the 2004 Olympics. At that time, Antetokounmpo and his brothers roamed the streets, selling souvenirs and other trinkets. He had not touched a basketball yet — that would happen three years later, as he entered his teens.
And then, gradually and spectacularly, he grew, in height and presence: from bouncy yet naive, to forceful and dominant. Today, he is “The Greek Freak,” a two-time Kia MVP and a Finals MVP winner.
So it was an easy decision, then, to appoint Antetokounmpo — who just recently helped the Greek basketball team qualify for the Paris tournament — as flag bearer and chief representative of the Greek athletic delegation.
It is hardly the first time an Olympic athlete with an NBA footprint reached for a flagpole.
Aside from LeBron James and Antetokounmpo, who will carry flags for these 2024 Games, others from the NBA and a few WNBA players lead their respective countries into Olympic Stadium (listed alphabetically by last name):
Sue Bird, USA (2020)
No one reflects the dominance of the U.S. women’s team more than Bird, a five-time gold medalist. The Americans have never lost in Olympic competition, and one reason is Bird, a four-time WNBA champion with the Seattle Storm. Bird is one of only 11 players to achieve an Olympic gold medal, a World Cup gold medal, a WNBA title and an NCAA title.
Pau Gasol, Spain (2012)
Even in retirement, the Hall of Famer is the face of basketball in Spain, a former fixture on the national team and beloved by millions (and that’s not even including Lakers fans).
Gasol did all he could to elevate Spain into a world basketball powerhouse and he succeeded. Spain was in the mix for medals in international competition for more than a decade. He copped a pair of silvers in the Olympics in 2008 and ’12, unable to beat Team USA, though it was no shame in taking a back seat to his long-time NBA teammate and Lakers friend, Kobe Bryant.
Manu Ginobili, Argentina (2008)
He’s perhaps the most accomplished non-American international player in the Olympics, if only because he steered Argentina to the gold medal in 2004, breaking the USA’s grip. It earned him a place in the country’s sporting history, which is hard to do given the soccer icons who called Argentina home.
That made two places where Ginobili would never pay for a meal, the other being San Antonio, of course.
Rui Hachimura, Japan (2020)
Nothing beats the chance to be the flag bearer of the host country. So imagine how Hachimura felt when selected to represent Japan in the pandemic-delayed Games. It was an uplifting moment for he and Tokyo, which scrambled to re-arrange the schedule for 2021.
Lauren Jackson, Australia (2012)
There was a stretch in the previous decade where Jackson was arguably the best player in the world, quite a feat for a non-American. Australia couldn’t beat the USA, yet did take three silvers and a bronze with Jackson.
So, no gold medal — but she settled for becoming the leading scorer in Olympic history before she retired … the first time. The 42-year-old is coming out of retirement again to compete at a fifth Olympics for Australia in 2024.
Yi Jianlian, China (2012)
His NBA career, mainly spent with the Bucks, was brief. But his impact in his home country was deep. Next to Yao Ming, Yi was a role model in China and helped develop the sport in a now basketball-mad country. He played for China in 2012 and ’16.
Andrei Kirilenko, Russia (2012)
The tallest flag bearer in Russian history (6-foot-9), and the only basketball player, Kirilenko helped Russia to a bronze medal in London, the only medal secured by the country in the post-Soviet Union. He was among the NBA’s better defensive players when he played for the Utah Jazz.
Patty Mills, Australia (2020)
One of the finest players ever produced Down Under, Mills was a three-time Olympian. More than that, he was also a symbol of his heritage, becoming the first indigenous flag bearer for Australia. His appeal runs almost as deep in San Antonio, where he was a valuable reserve during the Spurs’ dynasty.
Yao Ming, China (2004, ’08)
When your country elects you to carry the flag not once but twice, it says plenty about your importance to such a country. Yao and his presence, all 7-foot-6 of it, was massive for a country trying to gain global acceptance. He is one of China’s most important citizens of modern times.
He was chosen by the host to be the face of the 2008 Games, where the Hall of Famer and former Rockets center was also a torch bearer in Beijing, carrying the flame into Tiananmen Square.
Dirk Nowitzki, Germany (2008)
He didn’t win his first and only NBA championship until three years later. Until then, bearing his country’s flag served as his trophy. Nowitzki wasn’t able to lift the Germans as he did the Mavericks and left the Olympics without a medal, but what an Opening Ceremony memory.
Luis Scola, Argentina (2016)
Forever a part of one of the now-legendary 2004 gold medal-winning team, Scola was just as much a national team fixture as Ginobili, if not more. He has 11 medals total in international competition and a bronze to go with gold at the Olympics. His best NBA years were spent with the Houston Rockets from 2007-12.
Dawn Staley, USA (2004)
She’s the first USA basketball player of any gender to carry the flag, and for good reason. Staley won three gold medals as Team USA’s smart and tough point guard, and her selection was a salute to women athletes. She later served as an assistant coach in 2008 and ’12 and as coach in ’20.
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Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Shaun Powell has covered the NBA for more than 25 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.
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