The halftime of Super Bowl LIX – where the Philadelphia Eagles denied the Kansas City Chiefs of a historic three-peat – featured Pulitzer prize-winning rap artist Kendrick Lamar, alongside SZA and Samuel L. Jackson. But the real highlight of the night? Turns out, it was none other than Serena Williams who stole the show. Though almost everyone gushed at the former World No. 1’s performance, her elder sister went two steps ahead to hype her up.

The 24 grand slam winner was spotted dancing on a platform while Kendrick Lamar performed “Not Like Us”—his five-time Grammy-winning diss track aimed at, well, her rumored ex, Drake. When the television cameras twice panned to the 23-time Slam champion, fans saw the sporting legend crip walking to the controversial and court-smashing diss track. In one of the lines of the song, Mr. Morales tells Drake he “better not speak on Serena.”

Naturally, many high-end tennis personalities, including Novak Djokovic and Naomi Osaka, among others, reacted to her thrilling appearance and her elder sister wasn’t far behind. Before hopping on the big stage, Serena posted a few behind-the-scenes posts for her fans to which her sister responded: “You did that!!! 💙✨” Subsequently, she reposted the 43-year-old’s dance video on her Instagram story and captioned it, “Lil sis killing it.”

Serena’s husband also chimed in with a subtle tribute on X, writing, “Pretty fantastic halftime show.”

For those unaware, the former World No. 1 previously poked fun at Kenny and Drizzy’s rap feud while hosting the ESPY Awards in July 2024. “If I’ve learned anything this year, it’s that none of us, not a single one of us, not even me, should ever pick a fight with Kendrick Lamar. He will make your hometown not like you. The next time Drake sits courtside at a Raptors game, they’re going to Forrest Gump him. Seats taken.”

Before gushing over her Super Bowl performance, Venus Williams uploaded a throwback post for her sister. And Serena’s dance moves, especially that crip walk in the Superdome, weren’t just for show. They actually had a deeper connection to her past. Back in 2012, she scripted headlines after showing off similar dance moves on the Wimbledon Centre Court after she won the Golden Slam with a gold medal finish at the year’s London Olympics. Venus posted her controversial dance from back in the day on her socials and wrote – “I just! @serenawilliams.”

Serena, for her part, also reflected on her Super Bowl performance while pointing out the past.

Serena Williams makes fun of her Super Bowl appearance in reference to controversial 2012 Wimbledon dance

Moments after concluding her on-stage appearance, American superstar Serena Williams took to social media to reflect on her performance on Sunday. She wrote on X: “Man, I did not Crip Walk like that at Wimbledon. Ooh, I would have been fined! It was all love.”

For the uninitiated, her controversial Wimbledon musical steps drew acute criticism from fans because gang members from Compton, where both Kendrick Lamar and Williams were raised, popularised the dance.

At the time, Williams responded to the backlash during an interview with US Weekly saying, “It’s getting so much attention. It just happened. I was so excited that it just came out. I guess I’m good at it!” Serena claimed that she didn’t “care” about the criticism. “That’s the least of my worries. I’m so excited I was able to do the dance. I’m glad I did it!” 

For now, Serena’s looking forward to heading home and catching up with her family – husband Alexis, and their two daughters, Olympia and Adira. What do you make of her surprise appearance? Do let us know in the comments.