Ellie the Elephant, Liberty Take Over Thanksgiving Parade

The New York Liberty made a lively entrance at the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Ellie the Elephant, the mascot for the New York Liberty is spotted on Broadway during the ticker-tape parade, Thursday, October 24, 2024, in Manhattan. / Kevin R. Wexler-NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Cold rain threatened to cast a damp shadow over the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday. Fortunately, the New York Liberty brought in a few experts in blocking.

The reigning WNBA champions brought their trademark seafoam-branded flair to the New York City tradition, making their way to Macy's flagship store on West 34th Street in Manhattan on a float resembling the team's torch emblem entitled "Gift of Freedom."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by New York Liberty (@nyliberty)

Liberty reps on board the float included Jonquel Jones, Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, Nyara Sabally, and Breanna Stewart, as well as the well-traveled WNBA Finals trophy earned just over a month ago with a five-game series victory over the Minnesota Lynx.

But the show was, perhaps expectedly, stolen by mascot Ellie the Elephant, who teamed up with the Timeless Torches dance troupes for a show-stopping number that took their usual antics outside. Ellie made sure to dress for the occasion, donning a seafoam skirt and jacket for her Turkey Day debut.

With her appearance, Ellie became the first professional mascot to earn a dedicated float at the Thanksgiving Day Parade, a fact she happily shared on her X account.

The Liberty are no strangers to parades, having recently been heralded in the Canyon of Heroes in recognition of their first postseason championship. The end of the road saw New York earn a 67-62 in overtime at Barclays Center thanks in part to Stewart's tying free throws, a breakout game for Sabally, and Jones securing the series' MVP award. Laney-Hamilton, the second-longest tenured New Yorker behind Sabrina Ionescu, fought nagging injuries throughout the postseason but got the Liberty on the Finals board with a 20-point performance in Game 2 in Brooklyn.

The first landmark of the ensuing offseason is set for Friday, as the Liberty will protect six players from the incoming Golden State Valkyries' expansion draft (6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).

Make sure you bookmark Knicks on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

• What Knicks Stars Are Thankful For
• Melo Talks KG Fight
• The Knicks Trade That Still Irks Carmelo Anthony
• ESPN Analyst References Departed Knick
• How Jalen Brunson Nearly Became a Net