What a sight it was to see as the US Basketball ‘Dream Team’ came sprouting out of their vessel in the Olympic opening ceremony procession.

Surely the Paris 2024 organisers at some point channelled the famous line from Jaws, ‘We’re gonna need a bigger boat!’, for a group of guys who are more used to super yachts than runabouts.

Their leader and megastar among superstars, LeBron James, was boldly leading their parade in a waterproof plastic poncho alongside tennis powerhouse Coco Gauff as Team USA Flag Bearers, and the heaving crowd surged to get a glimpse of this talent-laden floating photo-op.

The United States Team is the biggest in Paris for the games and it was standing-room only on their vessel as the rain tumbled down.

Steph Curry, Anthony Davis, Jasyn Tatum and coach Steve Kerr lapped up the attention and seemed unperturbed by any pressure that comes with being the biggest drawcard at the Games.

The ‘Dream Team’ were one of the headline acts in the opening ceremony but will not be staying in the Olympic Village due to security concerns and potential issues over cardboard bed collapses.

When asked about the decision around their ‘digs’ for the duration of the Games, two-time NBA title winner Kevin Durant said he just ‘goes where he is told’.

‘’I don’t think we had a choice (where we stay),” Durant said.

‘’I haven’t gotten into any (cardboard) beds since I’ve been doing this whole thing.’’

In line with the Dream Team’s relaxed interaction since arriving in Europe, including a transit train trip from London to Paris, Durant was quick to impress the team ‘will be mingling’ with the other world’s elite throughout the athletes’ village.

‘’The last few times I’ve done the Olympics, we’ve spent our fair share in the Olympic Village and felt like a part of the group there,” Durant said.

’We stay outside of it, but we get our time right before the opening ceremony.

‘’As we go to other sports as well, we get to walk through the village. So I think we get enough time there,” Durant added.

Former Australian Olympic champion James Magnusson recently spoke about the awe with which the Dream Team are viewed even among other world sporting stars.

Magnusson noted that even in the athletes’ village, the Dream Team players sometimes preferred to sit and eat with the Australian team members because they would be treated ‘fairly normally’.