Diva Mode! How Ellie the Elephant Became Whitney Houston for the New York Liberty Season Opener

Reported by Vogue.

The New York Liberty's 30th WNBA season deserved more than a cake and a banner drop. It deserved a full Whitney Houston transformation — and their mascot, Ellie the Elephant, delivered exactly that. According to Vogue, the half-time show concept traced back to a piece of real Liberty history: the very first WNBA All-Star Game in 1999, hosted by the Liberty, where Houston performed an anthem that became the stuff of legend. "We wanted to anchor Ellie's first half-time performance of the season in something that felt both nostalgic and distinctly New York," said Criscia Long, senior director of entertainment at Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment.

The production was months in the making. Ellie logged daily miles — Whitney on Spotify, obviously — and spent hours studying Houston's interviews, stage presence, and movement vocabulary. "I've studied everything: her vocals, her movement, her energy, her presence," Ellie said. Meanwhile, Long worked with DJ Jay Jung to cut a 15-song career retrospective down to a tight six-track set: "The Star-Spangled Banner," "How Will I Know," "It's Not Right But It's Okay," "I'm Every Woman," "I Will Always Love You," and "I Wanna Dance With Somebody." "We had to be intentional about pacing," Long said, "balancing big vocal moments with high-energy sections."

Four Looks, One Icon

The costuming pulled from four distinct Houston eras. Before tip-off, Ellie hit the players' tunnel in a sleek black leather gown — a direct reference to Houston's 1998 Brit Awards performance of "It's Not Right But It's Okay" — accessorized with a Coach Tabby bag and oversized yellow-lens shades from Sunglass Hut, both new Liberty sponsors. She finished the look with Essie's Mint Candy Apple on her nails, a seafoam green chosen to complement the team's new Court Origins jersey. "A clean, intentional manicure will Ellie-vate any look," she said, entirely seriously. At half-time, the opening moment recreated Houston's iconic scarlet tracksuit from that 1999 All-Star Game. Then came a black leather corset and wrap skirt, followed by a silver Grammy-worthy gown — a nod to Houston's six-time Grammy-winning legacy and the Bob Mackie moment from her 1994 sweep. The finale? A silver mini-dress with arm bands for "I Wanna Dance With Somebody," because there is truly no other way to close a show.

"When I think of Whitney, I think of legacy," Ellie said. "She's raised several generations of vocalists through her eternal art." Post-game recovery included stretching, an ice bath, and high-protein snacks — the unglamorous aftermath of committing fully to a diva moment in front of a sold-out arena.

Thirty years in, the Liberty proved that honoring your history and making it genuinely entertaining aren't mutually exclusive — especially when your mascot is willing to do the work.

Read the original at Vogue.