Brooklyn Nets star Dennis Schroder is set to make history at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics after he was selected as the male flagbearer for Team Germany for the sports competition’s opening ceremony on Friday.
According to the New York Post, the 30-year-old basketball star’s selection makes him the first Black person to carry the German flag at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. Schroder’s selection also comes after he admitted it would be a big honor for him to become the first Black German flagbearer at the Olympics.
Schroder, born to a Gambian mother, took to Instagram to celebrate the milestone. “DEUTSCHLAND DEUTSCHLAND DEUTSCHLAND. We made it through. To all the people who voted for me, thank you very much you’re the best ever. Being able to share this feeling with you is unbelievable,” he wrote in German alongside a photo of him holding the German flag.
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“The first dark-skinned carrier for Germany. INSANE. We did this together and made an important statement! Will carry the FLAG proudly. Thanks to all my family without you this would never have been possible! F.O.E. THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART.”
Schroder came up tops after fans and German Olympic athletes cast their votes to choose their flagbearers. The German Olympic Sports Confederation is expected to announce the 30-year-old as the male flagbearer during the week.
Schroder and the German national basketball team will be looking to go all out at the Olympics after he captained the squad to clinch their first FIBA World Cup in 2023. They also won that competition undefeated.
His selection comes after fellow basketball player LeBron James was also selected as Team USA’s male flagbearer for Friday’s opening ceremony, Face2Face Africa reported.
The Los Angeles Lakers superstar’s selection makes him the first men’s basketball player to carry the flag of his home nation at the opening ceremony. The 39-year-old, who is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, was nominated on behalf of the 2024 USA Basketball Men’s National Team by fellow teammate Steph Curry.
This year’s opening ceremony is going to be the first time the event will take place outside an arena. The athletes will board boats that will navigate down the River Seine and toward the Eiffel Tower.
