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By Megan Armstrong
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The New York Liberty are described as having a "Big 4" entering the 2026 WNBA season.
The Liberty re-signed two-time WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart, four-time All-Star guard Sabrina Ionescu, and 2021 WNBA MVP and 2024 Finals MVP Jonquel Jones. That trio won the franchise its first-ever championship in 2024, and the Liberty became odds-on favorites to win this year's Finals after scooping up three-time All-Star Satou Sabally in free agency last month.
But everybody knows the Liberty actually have a "Big 5."
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Ellie the Elephant is the most popular mascot in the sport — and maybe in all of American sports. What other mascot has been featured in Vogue?
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The Liberty introduced Ellie in 2021, and her lore has grown tremendously in the five years since. The WNBA tipped off its 30th season on Friday night, and Ellie got up for the occasion.
Ellie debuted a "nippy bob" and wore a leather dress, accessorized with a coach clutch, in the tunnel before the Liberty's season opener against the Connecticut Sun at Barclays Center.
The Liberty were without Ionescu, who suffered a "left foot injury" last Sunday, and Sabally, ruled out with a cyst, but they still held a commanding 66-37 halftime lead over the Sun. According to Liberty PR, the team's 66 first-half points are the second-most scored by any team in any first half in the WNBA since 2023. It harkens back to the Liberty's dominant 9-0 start last year.
But the Liberty still didn't slay as hard as Ellie, who performed as Whitney Houston at halftime.
Watch clips from Ellie's halftime show performance below.
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