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When you’re an international star who’s regularly besieged by paparazzi and fans, the way you get to places is important. You need to be able to escape all the hustle and bustle with privacy and style.
That’s why NBA player Devin Booker, after winning a gold medal with the U.S. basketball team at the Paris Olympics over the weekend, decided to leave a restaurant on a bicycle – wait, seriously?
Yes, while a security guard apparently cleared the way for Booker to leave the restaurant, where fans were waiting to get photos and autographs, the basketball star made his way to his waiting vehicle.
But he didn’t jump into a limo, a limo with tinted windows, or even an Uber. Instead, he climbed onto a green and white Lime bike and rode off into the Paris night with his gold medal around his neck.
@twinsparis Devin Booker tonight at restaurant l’Avenue. #paris #devinbooker #celebrity #fyp #viral #jo2024 #paris2024 #usa #nba #basketball ♬ Original post – twinsparis
The 27-year-old, who currently plays for the Phoenix Suns, stands at 6’6″, illustrating the impressive range of people these publicly available bikes can accommodate.
A bike makes perfect sense for cruising the streets of Paris during the Olympics—or any other time, really. The city has made a concerted effort since the 2020 COVID pandemic, and especially in the lead-up to the Olympics, to increase bike-friendliness by creating more bike infrastructure and additional bike rentals. For its part, Lime reportedly provided the city with 5,000 bikes to meet increased demand during the Games. The City of Light has plans to build more bike infrastructure in the future as well.
Booker isn’t the only U.S. national basketball player who rides a bike. LeBron James, who won his third gold medal over the weekend, enjoys cycling and recently partnered with Canyon to get more kids on bikes.
