A number of famous faces from the sporting world hit the blue carpet on Monday night for the 2025 Met Gala in New York City.
Several high-profile athletes are at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the glitzy annual fashion event, including WNBA star Angel Reese, NFL quarterback Joe Burrow and Olympic sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson.
There was no sign of NBA legend and Met Gala committee member LeBron James, nevertheless, after he announced earlier on Monday that he was pulling out due to a knee injury. Wife Savannah still attended the showpiece without him in a burgundy pinstripe dress with a button-up and burgundy tie.
Reese, who is currently gearing up for her sophomore season in professional women’s basketball, showed off her elegant style in a two-piece black gown with a sharp white collar and corset-style waist.
She also donned huge earrings and massive rings to add some luxury accessories to her menswear-inspired look in the Big Apple.
This year’s Met Gala dress code, titled ‘Tailored For You’, encourages guests to show off bold embodiments of menswear, despite not being an essential requirement.
Angel Reese was among the famous sporting faces at the Met Gala in New York on Monday
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow also looked as stylish as ever on the blue carpet
Savannah James still attended the fashion showpiece despite husband LeBron pulling out
The ‘Superfine: Tailoring Black Style’ theme, meanwhile, is an homage to menswear centered around ‘sartorial style’ in forming Black identities, with a focus on the ‘Black dandy’ – the 18th-century looks analyzed in Monica L. Miller’s 2009 book ‘Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity.’
As for Burrow, he opted for a loose-fitting blue-gray couture suit paired with Gucci-printed light blue sneakers and shades.
The Cincinnati Bengals hero has sparked controversy with some quirky outfits over the years while working closely with the NFL’s first ever fashion editor in Kyle Smith.
Yet Burrow certainly looked the part as he stepped out on the biggest fashion night of the year in New York City.
Almost a year on from her 4×100-meter relay gold-medal triumph at the Paris Olympics, Richardson – known for her flashy fingernails and lightning speed, arrived for the Met Gala wearing a floor-length gown with pastel purple lace and a light yellow overlay with bows on the bodice.
She was not the only Olympics superstar on the blue carpet, however, with gymnastics great Simone Biles also in attendance alongside NFL-star husband Jonathan Owens.
Like the majority of attendees, and as is tradition at the Met Gala, Simone and Jonathan had no interest in blending in with the crowd and instead arrived wearing some eye-catching attire.
Olympic sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson wore a floor-length gown with pastel purple lace
Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens’ Met Gala attire divided opinion among fans on social media
Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl winner played it simpler with a smart black tuxedo in New York
New England Patriots receiver Stefon Diggs sported a floor-length black overcoat and a huge beige fur cape with red shoes
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was another NFL star in attendance with his wife Bry
New York Giants quarterback Russell Wilson and his R&B-singer wife Ciara were there too
Former quarterback Colin Kaepernick was also spotted at the fashion festival with wife Nessa
The seven-time Olympic gold medalist opted for a tailored blue mini dress with a white collar and a huge flowing blue train, while Chicago Bears safety Owens donned a coordinating all-white suit with a matching fur cape and a black cane to fit this year’s ‘Superfine’ theme.
And their striking looks sparked controversy amongst fans on social media.
Some were far from impressed by Simone and Jonathan’s outfits, with one writing on X about the former: ‘stick to gymnastics girl coz ILY [I love you] BUT WHAT IS THIS’.
‘They look ridiculous,’ another commented.
Others, however, were impressed by Biles and Owens’ choice of outfits on the night and took to social media to heap praise on them.
One user put: ‘They look great!!!’
While another declared: ‘Best dressed couple’.
Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl winner Saquon Barkley, wearing a smart black tuxedo, was also at the Met Gala after partying with Timothee Chalamet at the Miami Grand Prix over the weekend amid backlash over his trip to visit Donald Trump at the White House.
Tennis royalty Serena Williams stunned in New York City wearing an elegant light-blue gown
Sabrina Ionescu was also spotted on the blue carpet as she gears up for the new WNBA season
NBA star Dwyane Wade and partner Gabrielle Union rocked coordinated black-and-white looks
New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs sported a more extravagant outfit on the night after taking to the blue carpet in a floor-length black overcoat and a huge beige fur cape with red shoes.
Others NFL stars in attendance included Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and his wife Bry, New York Giants counterpart Russell Wilson and his R&B-singer partner Ciara and Minnesota Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson.
Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick was also spotted at the fashion festival with wife Nessa.
Tennis royalty Serena Williams stunned in New York City wearing an elegant light-blue gown, as did basketball stars Sabrina Ionescu and Dwyane Wade.
