LOS ANGELES – Serena Williams has denied speculation that her surprise appearance during Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show was a veiled jab at her ex, rapper Drake, insisting the viral moment was nothing more than a tribute to her hometown.
Speaking in a recent interview with Time magazine for its World’s Most Influential People issue, the tennis icon dismissed the idea that her brief dance segment was targeted at the Canadian rapper. “Absolutely not,” she said. “I would never take a shot at Drake like that.”
Williams, who hails from Compton, emerged during Lamar’s fiery performance of his chart-topping diss track Not Like Us—a direct hit at Drake—at the Super Bowl LIX halftime show on February 9 in New Orleans. She took to the stage in Lamar’s set and performed a short Crip Walk, sparking widespread online speculation about her motives.
not serena williams c walking with kendrick at the super bowl 💀 pic.twitter.com/g2H3ENVpUx
— Brownies & Lemonade🍫🍋 (@TeamBandL) February 10, 2025
But the 23-time Grand Slam champion says the moment was simply a gesture of hometown pride.
“Obviously, I can see how someone would think that,” Williams acknowledged. “But absolutely not. I have never had negative feelings towards him. We’ve known him for so many years.”
Her husband, tech entrepreneur Alexis Ohanian, previously addressed the controversy on social media, calling the moment “bigger than the music” and reminding critics that Serena had once been widely criticised for doing the same dance at Wimbledon 13 years ago.
“Some of y’all have no idea how criticised Serena was for this same dance at Wimbledon 13 years ago and it shows,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Williams also addressed critics like ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, who implied that Ohanian should have taken issue with her participation in the performance.
“We’re investing in women and in sports,” she said. “This is literally the last thing on our minds. Come on.”
While Drake has largely remained silent on the performance, he reportedly filed a defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group over the release of Not Like Us, and made cryptic comments about his exes just before the Super Bowl broadcast. He has yet to directly address Williams’ involvement.
For now, Serena is standing firm—her appearance was about celebrating her roots, not throwing shade.
