Serena Williams: Why I helped Kendrick Lamar diss my ex-boyfriend at the Super Bowl…see more

Tennis icon Serena Williams made headlines once again—this time not for her legendary serves, but for her unexpected appearance at Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show.

Fans were stunned when the retired Williams, 43, took centre stage during Lamar’s explosive performance of Not Like Us, a track widely believed to be a scathing diss towards rapper Drake—her ex-boyfriend.

Taking to Instagram, Williams revealed that the collaboration had been in the works for years.

Serena Williams performed alongside Kendrick Lamar at the 2025 Super Bowl

“When @kendricklamar and team called and was like, ‘we’ve been trying to do something forever, what about this?’ We loved your Crip Walk at the Olympics after you won the gold medal,” she wrote in a caption alongside a montage of clips.

Williams was all in. “I’m like, Super Bowl? Are you serious? When in the world would I ever be able to dance at a Super Bowl? (Never) Let’s do it!” she added.

“I knew my winning dance after the @olympics would pay off one day. End of story.”

Serena Williams and Drake
Serena Williams shut down speculation about her Super Bowl performance being a dig at Drake Image source: Imago
The ‘Crip Walk’ has deep roots in Los Angeles, particularly in Compton, where both Williams and Lamar grew up.

The move, originally associated with the Crips gang, has long been controversial. Williams first made headlines for performing the dance after winning gold at the 2012 London Olympics, and she acknowledged the significance again after her Super Bowl cameo.

“Man, I did not Crip Walk like that at Wimbledon, ooh, I would’ve been FINED,” she joked in a video shared on X. “It was all love.”

However, the performance quickly took on a life of its own due to its timing.

Fans couldn’t help but notice that Williams was part of a song directly targeting her ex, Drake.

Kendrick Lamar was the headliner at the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show | Credit: X
Lamar’s Not Like Us included multiple jabs at the Canadian rapper, and Williams even got a direct shoutout in the lyrics: “Better not speak on Serena.

Was Williams subtly co-signing Lamar’s attack on her former flame? She remained tight-lipped, simply posting, “Let’s go Super Bowl halftime??! I died a little!” on X, alongside photos from the night.

Last year, Drake, known for his hit single “Too Good,” has revealed that the song was inspired by the tennis star.

This revelation comes after Drizzy released a substantial archive of previously unseen content, totalling 100 gigabytes, which includes behind-the-scenes footage from his recording sessions.

Revealed: How much Kendrick Lamar was paid for ‘ending’ Drake at the Super Bowl Halftime Show

Drake and Serena Williams’ relationship

Drake and Serena Williams
Drake and Tennis legend Serena Williams, were speculated to be romantically linked from around 2010 to 2015, a period during which Drake frequently attended Williams’ tennis matches and sent flirtatious messages on social media.

Drake also referenced Williams in his 2013 track “Worst Behavior” and was reportedly spotted kissing her at a restaurant in August 2015.

However, the following year, Williams got engaged to Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian.

In 2017, she tied the knot with her husband Alexis Ohanian in a luxurious multi-million dollar wedding.

The wedding was packed with star-studded celebrity guest like Venus Williams, Eva Longoria, Beyonce, Kim Kardashian, Ciara, and more.