Liberty stars reveling in Met Gala spotlight included Anne Hathaway game invitation

Sabrina Ionescu didn’t know what to expect Monday as she was getting ready for the Met Gala at The Surrey, a luxury hotel on the Upper East Side, alongside her Liberty teammates Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones. The three WNBA champions along with Liberty owner Clara Wu Tsai are obviously no strangers to the spotlight.They have been in rooms with important people. But the Met Gala is different. It’s the biggest night in fashion and a magnet for celebrities.

Each year on the first Monday in May, the biggest names in fashion, art, sports and cultural influence descend on New York City and flock to the largest art museum in the Americas. It’s highly exclusive, too.Without an invite, a single ticket costs $75,000 to attend. “You hear about it,” Stewart said, “and we were able to actually be a part of it.” Monday marked the third straight year WNBA players graced the event. Brittney Griner became the first WNBA player to attend in 2023 — only months removed from being released from a Russian prison.

And Angel Reese made her Met Gala debut last year. But the Liberty’s representation Monday night was another sign of the magnification of women’s basketball. “[Attending the Met Gala] just means that we are breaking more into that space of notoriety and that the game is growing,” Jones said Wednesday.“I’m happy that I’m in the WNBA in this era, where we can kind of be a part of things that are so cool obviously.

And … get that recognition and know that as female basketball players, we’re able to enter those spaces that we’ve seen our male counterparts enter before.” The whole day felt like a whirlwind. They arrived at the hotel around 9 a.m.but didn’t leave for the blue carpet that drapes over the iconic steps leading up to the museum until after 5 p.m. Each wore custom couture outfits, designed by Sergio Hudson and styled by Courtney Mays, that were months in the making and tailored to this year’s theme: “Superfine...