The Met Gala returns this Monday, May 4, which means the stairs at the Metropolitan Museum of Art are about to turn into the most-watched runway in the world again. Officially, the Met Gala is the Costume Institute Benefit, an annual fundraiser held on the first Monday in May and opens the Costume Institute’s spring exhibition. The event started back in 1948 as a much smaller fundraiser. Still, over the years, it has grown into fashion’s biggest night, where celebrities, designers, musicians, actors, and athletes pull up, trying to make a moment.
Athletes used to show up to the Met Gala more like guests than main attractions. A clean tux, a famous date, a quick photo, and they were out of the way. But that has changed in a major way. Sports stars are now fashion stars too, thanks to tunnel fits, brand deals, personal stylists, sneaker culture, and fans wanting to see how their favorite players move off the court, field, track, or gridiron. According to ESPN, athletes have been attending since the early 2000s, but their presence has grown so much that names like Serena Williams, Dwyane Wade, Odell Beckham Jr. and Russell Westbrook have become regular Met Gala conversation pieces.
This year’s theme is “Costume Art,” with the dress code “Fashion Is Art.” The exhibition is curated by Andrew Bolton, the Costume Institute’s curator in charge, and it focuses on the “dressed body” and the connection between clothing, art and the human form. The 2026 co-chairs are Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams and Anna Wintour, while the host committee includes Zoë Kravitz and Saint Laurent creative director Anthony Vaccarello, which makes sense for a night where menswear, celebrity, luxury fashion and athletic star power all overlap.
So before this year’s carpet gives us a new batch of fits to argue about, it’s only right to look back at some of the male athletes who understood the assignment. Some went bold, some kept it smooth, some leaned into the theme, and some just walked in with the type of confidence that made the outfit hit harder.
David Beckham — 2014
David Beckham kept it classic at the 2014 Met Gala, but classic can still be elite when it’s done right. Wearing Ralph Lauren, he went with a white dinner jacket, black pants and a bow tie while walking alongside Victoria Beckham. It wasn’t the wildest look on this list, but it was clean, timeless and a reminder that sometimes the best-dressed man in the room is the one who knows exactly what works for him.
Cam Newton — 2017
Cam Newton has always dressed like somebody who knows the cameras are coming, and his 2017 Met Gala look leaned all the way into that. He wore a Versace tuxedo, rhinestone Giuseppe Zanotti loafers and a feathered top hat, bringing his usual larger-than-life personality to the carpet. It was flashy, but that’s Cam — the whole point is that he doesn’t dress like everybody else.
Tom Brady — 2018
Tom Brady’s 2018 Met Gala look was one of those fits that people kept talking about, which is half the battle at the Met. For “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination,” he wore a custom black Versace jacket with gold trim that matched Gisele Bündchen’s dress. It was dramatic compared to Brady’s usual clean-cut image, and sometimes that contrast is exactly what makes a Met Gala look work.
Shaun White — 2018
Shaun White deserves credit for stepping outside the safe zone in 2018. Instead of a basic tux, the Olympic snowboarder wore an embroidered green-and-gold Etro jacket with matching green pants. It had color, personality and enough flair to feel right for the Met Gala without looking like he was trying too hard.
Odell Beckham Jr. — 2019
Odell Beckham Jr.’s 2019 Met Gala look is one of the most memorable athlete fits ever because he actually played into the theme. That year’s theme was “Camp: Notes on Fashion,” and OBJ wore a Thom Browne sleeveless tuxedo jacket with a black pleated kilt and platform boots. It was risky, it was fun, and it showed why Odell became one of the NFL’s first true modern style stars.
Dwyane Wade — 2023
Dwyane Wade has always understood how to make fashion feel personal, and his 2023 Met Gala look was another example. He wore an all-black Prada fit with Tiffany & Co. jewelry, giving the whole thing a smooth, grown, slightly dangerous energy. Wade even joked that the look was “giving a little Django,” which honestly explains the vibe perfectly without needing a whole fashion lecture.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — 2023
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been one of the NBA’s best-dressed players for a minute, and his 2023 Met Gala look helped lock that in. For the “Karl Lagerfield: A Line of Beauty” theme, he wore a layered black-and-white Thom Browne outfit with a tuxedo shirt, bow tie, pearls and sunglasses. It was stylish, confident and very Shai — not too loud just to be loud, but still impossible to ignore.
Russell Westbrook — 2023
Russell Westbrook has never been scared of an outfit, so of course, he deserves a spot here. In 2023, he pulled up in a custom Bode look with a jacket/cardigan-style top and printed pants, making the carpet feel like an extension of the NBA tunnel. Westbrook’s best fashion moments work because he wears them with real belief — even when the fit is different, he never looks like he’s asking for permission.
Ben Simmons — 2024
Ben Simmons had one of the strongest looks among athletes at the 2024 Met Gala. For the “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion” theme, he wore a Thom Browne outfit with an oversized tartan coat and even carried a clock briefcase. That little prop could have easily felt corny, but with the full look, it gave the outfit a story and made him stand out from the usual black-suit crowd.
Lewis Hamilton — 2025
Lewis Hamilton might be the standard right now when it comes to athletes at the Met Gala. In 2025, he showed up as a co-chair for “Superfire: Tailoring Black Style” in a cream-colored Wales Bonner suit with a matching beret, jewelry and details inspired by Black culture and history. It was sharp without being boring, meaningful without feeling forced, and proof that Hamilton treats the Met Gala like more than just a photo op.
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