Every year on the first Monday of May, all eyes with slight interest in fashion and pop culture fall into events in New York City, Met Gala. This annual fundraising event brings together film, music and now some of the biggest names in sports than ever before.
Last year’s Met featured athletes such as Stefon Diggs, Ben Simmons, Angel Reese, Lewis Hamilton, Venus Williams and Nelly Korda, as well as former professionals such as Dwyane Wade, Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams.
Athletes attend date back to the early 2000s, but their presence has increased over time. The Sportster has come a long way since former NFL player Jason Sehorn’s prom-esque tuxedo choice, and then-wife Angie Harmon in 2003, and Tom Brady’s black velvet in his 2006 debut. Currently, regular guests, including Serena, Wade, Odell Beckham Jr., Russell Westbrook, Naomi Osaka, and more, are often among the most dressed.
An increased presence also led to increased involvement.
In February it was announced that a group of selected athletes will be joining this year’s Met Gala Committee for the theme of “Superfine: Tailing Black Style.” LeBron James is honorary chairperson, and Hamilton is co-chairman, with Reese, Shaikali Richardson, Simone Biles and her husband, Jonathan Owens, present on this year’s host committee.
As I prepare for the 2025 Met Gala, let’s take a look back at some of the most memorable looks that have been spoofed as a sports star over the years.
2024
Lewis Hamilton understood the 2024 Met Gala dress code, “The Garden of Time.” He used his black Burberry outfit to honor John Istamlin, one of the UK’s first black gardeners.
If you look closely, you can see flower decorations on his coat, but what’s invisible is that Alex Wharton’s poem “The Gardener,” inspired by Istamlin’s life, is sewn inside. And when it comes to the gold for F1 drivers, the thorn necklace he paired with the outfit, he told Vogue that he represented “pain throughout its slavery trade time.”
NBA star Ben Simmons has leaned completely into the 2024 Met’s “Sleeping Beauty: Re-Awakening of Fashion” theme. The Simmons outfit, designed by Thom Browne, featured an oversized coat in a tartan pattern. He concluded his appearance with a watch briefcase.
Angel Reese made headlines for her unique outfit as well as for her whirlwind schedule over the course of about 24 hours. Reese began that Monday morning with training camp with Chicago Sky before joining the Met Gala before playing in a preseason game against New York Liberty the following day. The WNBA star made the most of her day and looked stylish in her custom sequin seaform green 16 Arlington gown.
2023
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is known for its bold appearance that goes in and out of NBA tunnels. Following the theme of “Karl Lagerfeld: The Line of Beauty,” Gilgauss Alexander wore a Tom Brown outfit with a tuxedo shirt and pants, layered with a set of matching cardigans over a tuxedo shirt and trousers with a classic black bow tie.
“You just want to make it right,” Gilgus Alexander told GQ about the outfit. “We spent a lot of time here today, but I’ve spent that time before. That’s not to say I’ve hadn’t thought much about clothes (in the past).”
Dwyane Wade has been involved in many Met Galas along with his actress wife Gabrielle Union over the years, but this particular look in 2023 was a hit. The three-time NBA champion wore an all-black Prada outfit and completed the look with Tiffany & Company jewelry.
The 2023 Met Gala was a key gala for WNBA star Britney Griner, who came months after his release from a Russian prison in December 2022. Griner celebrated the evening with a custom all-Calvin Klein look. Her solid-colored beige outfit featured a thin top under a set of coats and pants.
2022
Chloe Kim made her mark at the Met Gala, which debuted in 2022. The three-time gold medalist snowboarder was surprised by a white Giambattista Valli Couture Ball gown decorated with red feathers.
Kim shared her thoughts on extratv and gowns at the event. “I just wanted to do a beautiful, big ball gown. (Vali) is the king of ball gowns, so when I saw this dress, I had to.”
Caroline Wozniacki and David Lee served together at the 2022 Met. Tennis star Wozniacki wore a bold, blue cutout Christian Siriano dress with puffy baby blue sleeves. Meanwhile, the retired NBA All-Starry accompanied his wife in a classic black tuxedo.
2021
Naomi, Osaka, paid a beautiful respect for her Haitian and Japanese roots with this look. She worked with designer Nicholas Guesquière and her sister Mari Osaka, designer, to create a custom Louis Vuitton gown.
Her dress featured a purple, blue, silver and pink pattern with a red belt and a black ruffled cape. Hairstylist Marty Harper said in a news release that her hairstyle in Osaka was inspired by “Haitian high school girl style and Japanese woman Musha warrior.”
Serena Williams is known to take risks on the biggest nights of fashion. At the 2021 event, she wore this Gucci silver lace bodysuit and topped with an ombre feather cape.
Retired tennis star is E! News of the event that her appearance was “inspired by a superhero.”
If you don’t know, the 2021 Met Gala was iconic. It brought many memorable looks, and this from Simone Villes was one of the best. This 88-pound three-piece set was designed by Beckett Fogg and Piotrek Panszczyk and inspired by Showgirl Josephine Baker. The seven-time gold medalist dress was hand-applied with Swarovski crystals.
Choosing the most iconic Met Galarque from NBA star Russell Westbrook was tough. But we had to give credit to his 2021 look. Westbrook dressed in a navy blue Ralph Lauren tuxedo and completed the look with white stars dyed in his blue hair.
2019
Odell Beckham Jr.’s Met Gala style is constantly evolving, but it wasn’t as bold as his 2019 look. Following this year’s theme, “Camp: A Note on Fashion,” he rocked a Tom Brown sleeveless tuxedo jacket paired with a quilt.
“I told them no out of the rift,” the former NFL receiver said of wearing the quilt. “There’s no chance I’m wearing it. Here along the way, “Can I make sure they bring it just in case? I might do it just to do it.”
2018
Tom Brady is no stranger to the Met Gala, which has been in the dozen since 2006. That being said, the seven-time Super Bowl champion has many great looks, but this was probably his most talked about. Brady’s 2018 outfit was the theme of “Celestial: Fashion and Catholic Imagination.”
He wore a custom Versace black suit jacket featuring unique gold trim to match his then wife Gisele Bundchen’s dress. Brady revealed at the event that Bündchen was the one who chose his adjustment suit and revealed it to him in a car ride.
Sean White first joined the Met Gala in 2014 and opted for a traditional black tuxedo with a scarf for walking along the carpet. As for the 2018 Met, White decided to switch things up and go boldly. The three-time Olympic gold medalist snowboarder was surprised with an Etro embroidered green and gold jacket, paired the look with matching green pants.
2016
Maria Sharapova served as this red cutout dress. The retired tennis star worked with Colombian designer Juan Carlos Obando to design her look. She also paired the dress with bold, gold earrings to lean towards the theme of “Manus x Machina: Fashion in the Age of Technology.”
“I loved the feel of the simple, beautiful, and changed slip dress, which felt like a new take on classics,” Sharapova told Vogue. “This was the first dress I tried, but it was black. We wanted it to be more lively and (Obando’s) red palette to really pop.”
2014
Dressed by Ralph Lauren, David Beckham locked his dinner blazer in a matching bow tie, pulling the look together. This look attracted a lot of attention as the retired soccer star paired perfectly with his wife, Victoria Beckham’s cream dress.