Who is Ellie the Elephant? A day with the New York Liberty icon

ELLIE'S SIGNATURE STRUT starts a bully 20 feet from the runway.

Her Nike Air Force 1s, greenish and bedazzled, peek retired from beneath a sparkling floor-length gown successful seafoam green. Less than 3 hours earlier a 3 p.m. New York Liberty tipoff against the Connecticut Sun, a radical of influencers, media members and Ellie's contented squad hold for the Liberty mascot to uncover her passageway look. The achromatic carpet runway is acceptable up successful the underbelly of Barclays Center, not acold from wherever players rotation up successful their cars and caput into the locker room.

"If you're waiting for players, they came by already," a Liberty unit subordinate informs the crowd. We missed Breanna Stewart and Natasha Cloud by a fewer minutes. Still, nary 1 moves, waiting for Ellie to popular astir the corner.

Since Ellie debuted successful May 2021, erstwhile the Liberty moved from Madison Square Garden to Barclays, the mascot's popularity has reached unprecedented heights. She has her ain merch and has been featured successful Vogue, SLAM, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. On TikTok, wherever Ellie has 196,000 followers astatine people date, her "Get Ready with Me" video has been watched much than 3.5 cardinal times. In August, she appeared onstage with Ciara wearing rhinestones and a pleather miniskirt for the singer's "Out of This World Tour" halt astatine Barclays.

Ellie's emergence has been fueled successful portion by a palmy team; the Liberty won the WNBA Finals past twelvemonth and are archetypal successful the Eastern Conference. But fans chiefly flock to Ellie for her elephant-sized property and sometimes unhinged creation moves. Ellie twerks. She does headstands. According to her bio page connected the Liberty website, her change ego is Ellie J. Blige, an homage to vocalist Mary J. Blige. Unlike different mascots, fated to repetition the aforesaid outfits from their inception -- beauteous overmuch ever squad jerseys -- New York-based designers benignant Ellie.

Today's game, connected June 1, is her birthday. The Liberty are going each out. The taxable of this year, a unit subordinate says, is "Ellie-vation." Fans tin motion day cards for Ellie connected the concourse. "Happy birthday, queen, can't hold to creation with you," idiosyncratic writes. Five mascots from adjacent teams, including Jonathan the Husky from UConn and Double Play from the New York Rise, person been invited arsenic day guests.

The celebrations are "extra" and "boujee," 2 qualities that person endeared the mascot to fans and wherefore we're spending contiguous pursuing Ellie connected her birthday. Ellie's magic lies successful her anonymity and enigma down the trunk. Ellie could not lone beryllium anyone -- she could beryllium 1 of us. We could beryllium her if lone we granted ourselves the elemental support to beryllium arsenic bold and glamorous.

On the runway, Ellie twirls. "Alrighttttt day girl," a pistillate to my close says. Ellie pops a hip, 1 svelte limb disposable done the slit successful her dress. A multicolored faux fur overgarment drapes implicit her shoulders. There are respective photographers, and their corporate flashes successful the constrictive cinder block-lined hallway make a blinding effect. The airy glimmers disconnected the Liberty brooch pinned connected the close broadside of her David Dalrymple-designed dress. Ellie is simply a pro, though, and doesn't blink. "Can we spot the nails?" idiosyncratic asks. Ellie points astatine each of us, a perfectly shaped press-on turquoise nail lifting and lingering successful the aerial with the grace of a quality pageant contestant.

As Ellie turns, I curse she winks portion gesturing toward us. She blows 1 past buss from her trunk, past sashays away.

ELLIE MANIA IS REAL. It's 2:15 p.m., and aft walking the runway, Ellie is extracurricular Barclays, interacting with fans waiting to participate the arena. Many, if they aren't successful Liberty jerseys oregon gear, are dressed arsenic Ellie. There are elephant tails pinned to the backs of shirts, braided hairsbreadth with seafoam greenish extensions, floppy elephant ears. Several fans - kids and adults alike - recount dressing up arsenic Ellie for Halloween.

"She's got fashion, she's got style, she's truthful Brooklyn," Liberty instrumentality Dawn Schmidt says. She made 3 sets of elephant ears adorned with a foam Statue of Liberty crown for today's crippled -- 1 for her, 1 for a person and 1 for her friend's daughter, who is 8. All 3 started attending Liberty games a fewer years ago. "It's similar a cult. You person a person who brings you to the archetypal crippled due to the fact that they cognize you'll emotion it, and past you can't halt coming."

Just a fewer feet away, fans are shouting for the mascot's attraction implicit the sound of the DJ stationed successful beforehand of Barclays. "Ellie! Ellie! Ellieeeeee!" Ellie kisses cheeks. She takes selfies with fans. She accepts a day chapeau from a instrumentality and places it connected her head. A small miss runs up for a hug, past different miss follows, emboldened by the first, and fastens her arms astir Ellie's leg. When a remnant of blush smudges connected Ellie's furry grey feature -- the effect of kissing dozens of cheeks -- idiosyncratic is determination to hitch it distant with a towel.

The hardest occupation successful the league whitethorn not beryllium defending a Caitlin Clark logo 3 oregon containing three-time MVP A'ja Wilson. Respectfully, that occupation whitethorn beryllium to Frantz and Jahmal. The Stompaz, arsenic they're called -- Stompa successful singular signifier -- service arsenic Ellie's backup dancers and hype men. When Ellie needs idiosyncratic to clasp her purse truthful she tin driblet it low, a Stompa is determination to assist. They deterioration achromatic jumpsuits with "Liberty" successful sparkling letters connected the back. A waist loop holds a Gatorade vessel and towel.

Frantz has been a Stompa for 3 years. "The OG Stompa," helium says. Jahmal joined 2 years agone erstwhile it became wide Ellie's increasing popularity required further assistance. In a mounting similar this, the Stompaz are present for assemblage power arsenic overmuch arsenic they are to hype Ellie up. During games, Jahmal wears a headset that connects to the in-game amusement team, truthful Ellie knows wherever and erstwhile she needs to appear.

Jahmal says clip absorption is the hardest portion of their job. They request to support Ellie connected schedule, but her occurrence besides depends connected her quality to interact with and conscionable instrumentality demand. Sometimes, the 2 conflict. Ellie is moving 15 minutes behind. Frantz is playfully pulling Ellie by the hand, trying to shuffle her distant from the fans and into the arena.

But Ellie runs this show. Sometimes (oftentimes, if you inquire the Stompaz) she goes disconnected script. Lured by the music, a hip-hop day remix by Amyna Love, she can't resist. Ellie stops successful beforehand of DJ Ty-Michelle. An impromptu creation level forms arsenic fans circle. Ellie throws her hips to the right. And gives a popular to the left. She's nary longer wearing her formal from earlier and has changed into her signature "herzey," a agelong jersey that fans tin present bargain replicas of -- minus the process hole. A day sash is slung implicit the herzey. She whips her braid and lets her feet bounce to the beat.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Ty-Michelle says, amping up the crowd. "Do you seeeeeee that footwork?"

Chants of "It's your birthday, it's your birthday" and "Go, Ellie, go, Ellie" pull the attraction of commuters exiting the subway. At 1 point, she leaps implicit a barricade to creation atop a 3-foot-tall metallic bollard, sending the assemblage into a frenetic cheer. Meanwhile, Frantz frets implicit the time. "It's 2:30, and we're expected to get her retired astatine 2:15." He shakes his head. "Happens each game."

"What's it like? Following Ellie?" He laughs. "How bully is your cardio?"

THE ANSWER, I observe pitifully, astir 7 minutes into the archetypal quarter, is not bully enough. After tipoff, Ellie bounds up and down stairs and darts betwixt sections, sometimes athletically hurdling implicit barricades. At 1 point, the photographer, Amy Lombard, and I suffer Ellie wholly and parkland successful beforehand of Section 123 to drawback our enactment and scan the assemblage for a twerking elephant.

"Let's go, Liberty," the assemblage chants. Boom roar boom. "Let's go, Liberty."

On the court, Stewart scoops up a escaped shot and checks a cross-court bounce walk to Sabrina Ionescu for an uncontested layup. New York leads 23-13. The team, 6-0 astatine the time, is en way to a historical thrashing of the Sun, and the ambiance is electric. Entering the arena, the archetypal 9,000 fans received Ellie birthday-themed rally towels. Now, the towels thrash wildly implicit a assemblage of 17,400 aft each basket, creating a churning oversea of greenish successful the stands.

Ellie is entertaining successful the 200-level suites erstwhile we spot her again. We vault upstairs and drawback her earlier the extremity of the archetypal quarter. Then she's connected the determination erstwhile more. Roving astir the arena, Ellie creates monolithic postulation jams that induce panic successful information personnel, who bash their champion to maneuver fans into their seats and retired of the way. Parents transportation their young children from sections implicit and locomotion toward Ellie successful a wholesome mascot pilgrimage. Following Ellie, you larn quickly. It feels similar pursuing a operation of the Beatles and Beyoncé.

"Can we get a pic with Ellie?" A dada asks a information guard. The defender shrugs. "Not up to me," helium says, but a Stompa overhears, and helium turns around, trying to beryllium helpful. "Have your camera ready," helium advises. "And don't beryllium shy!" Ellie, already respective rows beneath successful Section 107, doesn't hold for anyone. Not adjacent for the Stompaz. For an elephant, Ellie is incredibly airy connected her Nikes.

"Are we excessively late?" different dada asks. His girl is wearing a rainbow sequin skirt. He hoists her onto his hep truthful they tin drawback up to Ellie. Photo taken, helium fist-bumps a Stompa connected his mode backmost to their seats.

The travel of parents and children doesn't stop. The 2nd 4th starts, and the Liberty scoring parade continues. Jaylyn Sherrod nets a 3-point changeable connected an Isabelle Harrison assistance to our right. It's 34-13, New York. We're crammed betwixt seats, blocking the presumption of astatine slightest 1 enactment of fans, but everyone is good-natured astir the hoopla 1 elephant has created. Queen Ellie is holding court. One pistillate presents Ellie with a handmade crochet tote container wrapped successful insubstantial paper. Ellie takes the offering, blows a buss and slings the container onto the crook of 1 arm.

"Trying to get a picture?" I inquire yet different dada successful beforehand of me. His daughter's arms are wrapped astir his neck.

"Nah," helium replies. "We got a high-five, and that was bully enough."

There's an authoritative timeout with little than 3 minutes remaining successful the 2nd quarter. Ellie jumps onto an bare enactment of seats and begins to dance, balancing connected the armchairs. Still holding onto the crochet bag. The full happening is broadcast connected the jumbotron, and the assemblage eats it up. "Ellie is wildin' tonight," a pistillate adjacent to maine says. Then the buzzer sounds, and Ellie is hustled into the passageway to alteration into her halftime outfit.

ELLIE'S IDENTITY down the trunk is simply a mystery.

On Vogue's podcast, "The Run-Through," successful May, Stewart said players were sworn to secrecy. "If you motion with the New York Liberty, you mightiness beryllium capable to find out. But immoderate of our caller players don't know," Stewart said.

Because astir of america aren't suiting up for the Liberty anytime soon, galore Reddit threads are dedicated to who Ellie mightiness be. Rumors tally rampant online, including 1 far-reaching but fashionable mentation that Indiana Fever defender Sydney Colson plays Ellie. (New York leaned into the speculation successful its 2025 docket merchandise video by showing Ellie a representation of Colson.)

In 1 Reddit thread, a commentator identifies themself arsenic an "Ellie superfan" and questions whether Ellie has an understudy. "Feels similar whoever's successful determination has been a small little bold and saucy," the station reads.

The Liberty, though, person been wide that determination is lone one Ellie, played by the aforesaid performer from the beginning.

"We really discovered them done an unfastened tryout that we had astatine Barclays Center," squad main marque serviceman Shana Stephenson says. "It's New York, truthful you tin ideate determination were immoderate characters."

The tryouts narrowed candidates down from astir 2 dozen. The costume was inactive successful improvement astatine the time. Stephenson, on with CEO Keia Clarke and elder manager of amusement Criscia Long, initially considered a pigeon and adjacent a rat erstwhile contemplating their caller mascot. Back erstwhile the squad played successful Manhattan, their mascot was Maddie, a dog, named aft the Liberty's location arena, Madison Square Garden. With the determination to Brooklyn, it was clip for Maddie to walk the torch.

"We were brainstorming. What is this animal?" Stephenson says. "What does she look like? Is it a he?"

Ultimately, the 3 women settled connected an elephant per Clarke's suggestion. In 1884, P.T. Barnum marched 21 elephants and 17 camels crossed the recently constructed Brooklyn Bridge to beryllium it was harmless to cross. "When Keia got to that constituent of the story, I stopped her," Stephenson says. "I was like, 'I get it.' We conscionable loved the symbolism and what it represented." Elephants, it should beryllium noted, unrecorded successful matriarchal herds.

At tryouts, candidates weren't told what carnal the mascot would be. The instructions were to simply supply an mentation of what performers believed a mascot for the New York Liberty should be.

Stephenson has ne'er confirmed immoderate details astir Ellie's identity. She does, however, connection a hint astir the performer. Ellie is from Brooklyn.

"I decidedly person my theories," says Britton Carver, a season-ticket holder. Her agelong hairsbreadth is dyed agleam pinkish underneath a Liberty hat. She's wearing an exclusive achromatic and greenish squad windbreaker. Carver flashes the overgarment unfastened to amusement maine the title trophies connected the interior lining and smiles.

We're hanging retired postgame astatine The Key, a suit-style lounge successful Barclays, for Ellie's day party. Tickets to the event, disposable to season-ticket holders for $150, are sold out. Fans bask successful the afterglow of a 100-52 Liberty blowout. This is simply a harmless abstraction to sermon theories connected who Ellie mightiness be.

"A batch of my friends consciousness powerfully that Ellie has not been the aforesaid idiosyncratic this full time," Carver says. "I deliberation radical who consciousness that mode don't recognize that radical person infinitesimal to moment, they person moods, they person energy. Sabrina doesn't sprout each time. Ellie's not going to beryllium cleanable each time, but she's our miss and I deliberation she's the aforesaid girl."

The performer has been the aforesaid since Ellie's inception, according to the Liberty, but the costume has evolved. Her ears are stiffer, truthful they don't flutter arsenic overmuch erstwhile she's mid-performance. The signature 6-foot-long braid that Ellie snaps astir and the crown are present removable to accommodate hairstyle changes.

Ellie doesn't speech -- she expresses herself utilizing assemblage connection and dispenses a steadfast dose of bosom hands to amusement appreciation. Her TikTok voiceovers -- she sounds similar a champion person astir to driblet blistery gossip implicit mimosas -- are AI-generated to support anonymity. Despite galore theories, each instrumentality we talk to wants Ellie to stay anonymous.

"It would ruin the magic," says Jessica Lopez, 1 of the fans attending Ellie's party. She sits with 2 of her friends, Kathryn Brown and Stephanie Piña. All 3 look the present quiet, bare arena below, wherever workers person descended to prep for the adjacent crippled oregon event. It starkly contrasts the upbeat euphony the DJ is pumping into The Key. Over the music, Lopez tells maine she's from Los Angeles.

"I'm present conscionable for her birthday."

"From Los Angeles?" I ask.

"Yeah, I know," Lopez says. She knows a cross-country travel to spot an elephant sounds a spot ridiculous and amends her statement. "And to spot Beyoncé. But the main constituent was to travel here. Beyoncé conscionable happened to beryllium present [on tour]."

Lopez likes the Liberty -- she's wearing a squad hoodie -- but Ellie is what brought her here. She remembers the archetypal clip she heard astir the mascot. Ellie -- sorry, "Elliyoncé" -- starred successful a Beyoncé-inspired halftime amusement past year. Lopez loved it and has been a instrumentality ever since.

Ellie's likeness is ubiquitous astatine the enactment -- connected the cake, poster boards and instrumentality apparel. Kids scamper betwixt look coating and Ellie coloring stations. But there's a just stock of adults successful the room, too, waiting for the day miss to appear. Partygoers linger by the elevator doors, and they cheer erstwhile Ellie yet appears conscionable earlier 7 p.m., gliding retired of the elevator holding her purse. Ellie places her manus implicit her bosom arsenic if to say, "Who me?" Cameras flash. A fewer hours aft the crippled has ended, the enactment tin genuinely begin. Cheers of "Ellieeeee!" ringing out.

The day miss has arrived.