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.

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