1. LeBron James

O.K., world, pin this one on your locker-room wall. LeBron James is picturing himself on the Beijing medal stand, gold draping his gargantuan chest. “It’s going to be like waking up on Christmas Day,” says James, the Cleveland Cavalier and global icon who led the NBA in scoring this season. “All you dreamed about this whole month was having that bike you wanted, and you get down to your living room — it’s there. It’s like one of the greatest things that has ever happened to you.”

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2. Michael Phelps

In 2004, then 19-year-old Michael Phelps had a chance to beat Mark Spitz’s record of seven gold medals in a single Olympics. Though he didn’t quite make Spitz’s mark, Phelps did accrue eight medals overall — six gold — in Athens to tie the record for most at a single Olympics. This year, Phelps tries again to pass Spitz by competing in eight events in Beijing.

3. Stephanie Rice

Swimming
Australia
Age: 20 Stephanie Rice is finding out what life can be like in an Olympic year when you’re both a world-class swimmer and world-class swimsuit model. The Queenslander will arrive in Beijing as the main threat to the American super-fish Katie Hoff in two events. In March, Rice grabbed the world record in both the 200m and 400m individual medleys; Hoff set a new mark in the latter at the recent U.S. trials in Nebraska. Away from the pool, Rice has dabbled in modeling and clearly prefers partying to knitting. She’s Australian, mate. In April, Facebook photos of her unwinding in a tight-fitting version of a police uniform were deemed inappropriate by Swimming Australia. Those who know Rice laugh off tabloid descriptions of her as raunchy. “She’s thoughtful and not the least bit full of herself,” says manager Lisa Stallard. The swimmer’s approach to training is a touch obsessive-compulsive. “I set very high expectations for myself,” says Rice. After her feats in March, “I’d be disappointed with anything less than Olympic gold.”

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4. Freddy Adu

Soccer
United States
Age: 19 Adu is an American dream of a future soccer star. It’s a work in progress. Born in Ghana and raised in the U.S., in 2003, he rocked the soccer world by signing a $1 million contract with Nike when he was just 13. He made his pro debut with the Major League Soccer’s D.C. United when most kids his age were entering high school. He was going to make soccer wildly popular in the U.S. Adu hasn’t yet lived up to the outlandish expectations, and when he complained about playing time in the media, he was labeled as an arrogant underachiever. But he has starred for the U.S. in FIFA’s U-17 and U-20 tournaments. Now 19 and on loan from Portugal’s Benfica to Monaco of the French league, Adu has matured while playing for the U.S. national team. If he leads the U.S. to Olympic success, he’ll again be U.S. soccer’s crown jewel.

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5. Billy Joe Saunders

Boxing
Great Britan
Age: 18The broad shoulders of 18-year-old British welterweight boxer Billy Joe Saunders have more than the usual burden of pride and expectation riding on them. For a start there’s the large fan base he’s gathered in a 49-fight winning streak that included the defeat of a Cuban champion. Then there’s the reputation of his family and of his Romany Gypsy people for whom he’s aiming to be a “good news story.” Part of that involves shucking the image of the bare-knuckle fighter, a tradition of Gypsy culture that made his 96-year-old great-grandfather a celebrated boxing booth champion at the fairgrounds. But above all Saunders puts his faith in another time-honored virtue of the gloved version of the sport: “Boxing has kept me off the streets, stops me smoking and drinking and gives me something to do.” Like beating people up.
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