Warriors superstar Stephen Curry's unselfish act aids long-time rival's huge honor

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James will serve as Team USA's male flag-bearer for the opening ceremony at the Paris Olympics, thanks in part to a ringing endorsement from Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry.

As the two faces of the NBA over the past decade, the veteran duo are finally teaming up to headline a star-studded USA roster that's led by Warriors head coach Steve Kerr.

Stephen Curry's unequivocal support for long-time Golden State Warriors rival LeBron James speaks to the relationship between the pair

James and Curry are arguably the greatest individual rivalry in basketball since the latter emerged as a back-to-back league MVP in 2015 and 2016. They faced each other in four-straight NBA Finals between 2015 and 2018, with Curry and Golden State winning three championships over James and his then Cleveland Cavaliers.

But the pair are putting their long-time rivalry to one side this summer, joining forces in the hope of avenging Team USA's fourth-place finish in last year's FIBA World Cup. The merging of Curry and James has extended beyond the court too, with Curry leading the charge for James' place as the male flag-bearer.

"On behalf of myself and the entire Men's Olympic Basketball team, we would like to nominate LeBron James to be the flag-bearer for all of Team USA. We understand how much of an honor it is to be in that position, and I think LeBron's entire career, on and off the court, speak for itself of him being worthy of that honor."

- Stephen Curry

Curry's endorsement of James speaks to the relationship and mutual respect between the two, and to the surprise of very few, that has translated to the floor where they've already built considerable chemistry during Team USA's five exhibition games ahead of the Olympics.

The 39-year-old James again led the team with a game-high 20 points in a 92-88 victory over Germany on Monday, having previously made a game-winning layup against South Sudan on Saturday.

The superstar duo and the rest of Team USA will now head to Paris for the opening ceremony on Friday where James will be front and center before their opening group game against Serbia on Sunday.