When the ownership of the New York Liberty changed hands from [[James L. Dolan|James Dolan]] (owner of [[Madison Square Garden Sports|Madison Square Garden]] and the [[New York Knicks]]) to [[Clara Wu Tsai]] and [[Joseph Tsai|Joe Tsai]] (owners of the [[Brooklyn Nets]]), the team moved to Barclays Center. The prior mascot for the Liberty, a dog called Maddie, was named after [[Madison Square Garden]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Covington |first=Abigail |date=2023-10-13 |title=Have You Ever Seen an Elephant Twerk? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/13/style/ellie-elephant-ny-liberty-wnba.html |access-date=2024-07-27 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
[[File:Big Ellie Liberty at a New York Liberty game.png|thumb|Ellie jogs the sideline at a New York Liberty game in her 2023 uniform.]]
For their move to Brooklyn, NY Liberty CEO Keia Clarke researched animals that were commonly associated with New York City, and learned that when construction was completed on the [[Brooklyn Bridge]], there was a parade of [[P. T. Barnum]]'s elephants (including [[Jumbo]]) to show people that the bridge was strong enough, held for its first anniversary on May 17, 1884. Clarke thus thought an elephant could symbolize the team's own move to Brooklyn. The name Ellie is after [[Ellis Island]], the historic welcome center for new immigrants, next door to Liberty Island, the home of the [[Statue of Liberty]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Megdal |first=Howard |date=2021-05-06 |title=Passing the torch: First look at Ellie, new Liberty mascot |url=https://www.thenexthoops.com/features/passing-the-torch-first-look-at-ellie/ |access-date=2024-07-20 |website=The Next |language=en-US}}</ref> The mascot wears a [[radiate crown]] in the style of the Statue of Liberty, as was also worn by the prior mascot Maddie.
