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LeBron James gives the command, waves the flag to start the 24 Hours of Le Mans

JHby: Jonathan Howard06/10/23Jondean25
LeBron James Le Mans
(Photo by JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER/AFP via Getty Images)

This year the 24 Hours of Le Mans has a lot of American star power. LeBron James was the honorary starter for the race. King James not only waved the flag to start the race, but he also gave the starting command in French! With the NASCAR team there, can we get a LeBron and Jimmie Johnson photo while they’re in the same place?

The 100th running of Le Mans. NASCAR is back with a car that is better than anyone thought it would be, to the point they had to change the rules around. You have the NBA’s biggest star in the house for the race and all of a sudden it feels like a very American event.

Instead of waving a green flag to start the race, LeBron was waving a decorative French flag as is customary. I’m not sure if he gets to keep that flag, but it looks like a piece of memorabilia race fans would kill to put their hands on.

Now, I didn’t take French in high school, I barely paid attention in Spanish. So, I’m going to give LeBron James the benefit of the doubt and say that he did an excellent job telling the drivers to start their engines. Do you think he was up all night last night practicing β€œPilotes dΓ©marrez vos moteurs?”

Hopefully, with LeBron James there watching, the NASCAR Garage 56 team can put together a great run at Le Mans. The King is in attendance, Seven-Time is in the car. Not to mention former F1 champ Jenson Button and former Le Mans winner, Mike Rockenfeller.

This is the time for NASCAR to shine.

LeBron James the latest celebrity starter

Throughout the history of Le Mans, there have been plenty of celebrity starters. Even at times, French politicians. The fact that LeBron James got the nod this year is pretty cool. LeBron is a fan of racing, and his I Promise Schoo had a NASCAR scheme in the Cup Series last season.

When it was announced that LeBron James was the starter, he was happy to take up the honor and represent America. High-level athletes like to watch other high-level athletes.

β€œThere’s nothing like seeing and experiencing sports at their highest level,” LeBron said, via NASCAR. β€œIt’s an honor for me to be part of this historic moment in motorsports and help celebrate the Centenary of one of the biggest sporting events in the world. I look forward to kicking off this iconic race and watching its world-class drivers compete on Le Mans’ global stage.”

After two early wrecks on Lap 1 of the race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans is getting back underway. I’m sure that someone will find a way to blame that on LeBron James and not the rain on the track.