Why WNBA mascot Ellie the Elephant honored Whitney Houston

On Friday night, the WNBA’s New York Liberty gave the sold-out crowd at Barclays Center in Brooklyn plenty to cheer for, even when the team wasn’t on the court.

The Liberty opened its 30th season with a commanding 106-75 win over the Connecticut Sun. And the team’s beloved mascot, Ellie the Elephant, paid tribute to Whitney Houston during a halftime show that included a medley of song, dance and and other hijinx that the elephant has gone viral for.

The halftime performance lasted minutes, but Ellie “eating up” yet another tribute was months in the making. USA TODAY spoke exclusively with Ellie’s creative team and costume designer to find out what it takes to bring the mascot to the masses and why she’s resonated with such a large audience.

When was Ellie the Elephant born? Inside the viral superstar’s origins.

In 2019, Brooklyn Nets majority owners Clara Wu Tsai and her husband Joe Tsai purchased the WNBA’s Liberty from the Madison Square Garden Company. According to Liberty Chief Brand Officer Shana Stephenson, the team began brainstorming on a new mascot that same year.

Those plans were delayed in 2020 with the COVID-19 pandemic. But the idea of an elephant, inspired in part by an 1800s P.T. Barnum stunt in which he used elephants to illustrate the strength of the Brooklyn Bridge, endured. There were other symbolic meanings to the mascot as well: “Ellie” sounds like Ellis Island, right next to the Statue of Liberty. And elephant herds are female-led societies that represent strength and intelligence.

Ellie the Elephant made her debut in 2021. The performer is anonymous, but Stephenson insists that it has been the same person since the mascot was introduced five years ago. The performer is a Brooklyn native.

“We have a team that’s committed to the character and the performer and making sure that there’s some consistency there,” the executive says. “No matter how many times I or others go on record and saying that it’s the same person, people think they know better, which is fine, but it’s really important to the brand that there is some consistency.”

Criscia Long, senior director of entertainment for the Liberty, also sees the comments on Ellie’s identity.

“Every single time Ellie comes to life, everyone swears that, ‘I think Ellie is this and I think Ellie is that’ because they relate to that person so much,” she says. “So having that same person, we’re able to level up every single year.”

How important is Ellie to the Liberty’s brand? Stephenson won’t put a dollar figure on it, but take into consideration that similar to star players, Ellie received her own arena entrance moment at the game Friday night. The mascot, like other celebrities with social media followings, was accessorized with shades from Sunglass Hut, a bag from Coach and a manicure from Essie.

Watch Ellie the Elephant work it at the New York Liberty’s home opener

New York Liberty mascot Ellie the Elephant gets an arrivals moment at the WNBA team’s home opener inside Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.

Ellie has almost a half a million followers across Instagram and TikTok, which is more than some WNBA team accounts. Long says that the mascot’s digital presence has played a huge role in her success.

“People are actually talking to Ellie,” she notes of commenters online. “And in the responses, you can see that they feel like they’re a part of Ellie’s life, and that comes from the character as well.”

“I’ve had many senior leaders across multiple leagues contact me about our mascot strategy,” Stephenson reveals. “The one thing that I emphasize is that this is what works for New York and more specifically Brooklyn. If you’re in, insert any other city, you need to figure out what that secret sauce is for your fan base in your particular market.

“There will only ever be one Ellie. You can’t recreate what we have here. You just can’t do it.”

How New York Liberty’s Ellie has become the most well known mascot in sports

New York Liberty Chief Brand Officer Shana Stephenson explains how Ellie the Elephant came to be and why she is symbolic of the popularity of women’s sports.

Why did Ellie the Elephant pay tribute to Whitney Houston?

Ellie the Elephant has honored a number of music artists during Liberty games including Nicki Minaj, Mary J. Blige, Lady Gaga, Missy Elliott and Beyoncé. Ellie’s performance as Blige in 2025 led to a moment at the Off-White fashion show days later where the “Real Love” singer told Ellie, “You killed it. Had me thinking it was me!”

Stephenson counts it as one of her favorite Ellie celebrity interactions and a points to the synergy of Off-White as a Liberty brand partner, Blige’s New York roots and the respect that the Liberty and Ellie have to be invited to one of New York Fashion Week’s most exclusive events.

For the 2026 home opener, Ellie performed a tribute to Houston, one of the most awarded and best selling artists of all time. The late singer was born in Newark, New Jersey but also has an interesting tie to the team. Houston performed the national anthem at the first WNBA All-Star Game, which was hosted by the Liberty in 1999.

Long says that planning for the 2026 opening night halftime show began in January. The ideation on the performance’s look and sound ran right up to game day. In addition to the music, Long worked with fashion designer David Dalrymple on Ellie’s look and a whole cast of dancers and performers who join in on the show.

Just walking in Dalrymple’s Garment District studio got Long’s creative juices flowing.

“I think of something new every single time I walk in because he’ll have costumes from Beyoncé and ‘(RuPaul’s) Drag Race’ and all these different things,” she says. “You can see the performers almost come out while you see the costuming.”

But when Long joined Dalrymple in the studio just days before the home opener, the designer drops a different name: Britney Spears. Amongst his long list of credits, Dalrymple created the look Spears wore, and tore off, at the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards.

Ellie received a similar treatment: the mascot began her halftime show in a track suit that was designed after the one Houston wore at the inaugural All-Star game. Dalrymple added snaps along the jacket so it could easily tear off. Ellie had a few other changes underneath: a long black dress and a silver gown that converted into a mini skirt. In addition to a set list that included “I Will Always Love You” and “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me),” Ellie acted out Houston’s iconic acceptance speech at the 2001 BET Awards.

While each costume change and accessory is intentional for the musical era or moment from Whitney’s career that is being portrayed, Long says it’s the mascot who ultimately has to carry the performance.

“Ellie is a thespian,” Long says. “It is more than the dancing. It’s more than the music. Ellie tries to embody each artist and that takes studying of the mannerisms because the mannerisms are what bring it to life, not the staging or anything else.”

That also takes stamina. Ellie is visible to the audience for the entire game, with a performance in between. Long jokes that she “wouldn’t survive three steps” in Ellie’s suit. Her plate is full anyways.

“Having the 30th anniversary of the New York Liberty, it’s so special,” Long says. “We want to make sure that we do it right. The fans are just so amazing. They’re ready to turn up, so we have to meet their standard.”