Lights, camera, and Serena Williams! Be it a stage or a court, she steals the spotlight with sheer brilliance. And Super Bowl LIX was no different. What was meant to be a Kendrick Lamar moment, soon transitioned to a Serena Williams spectacle when she grooved to his music. Williams stole the spotlight much like she did at the 2012 London Olympics. However, unlike the controversy back then, she is receiving compliments for her crip walk this time around.

Williams joined the Grammy-award winner Kendrick Lamar during his track ‘Not Like Us,’ and performed her iconic crip walk on the front stage. Post-performance, she took a quirky shared her views on her performance and reminded people of her 2012 London Olympics stunt, one that she did after overpowering Maria Sharapova in the gold medal match. “Ooh, I did not crip walk like that at Wimbledon, I would have been fined!” she added with a smirk.

Lamar’s song ‘Not Like Us’ holds a special place for Williams. She performed on this track while hosting the 2024 ESPY Awards. A Michigan-born athlete, Williams grew up in Compton, the same town as the Grammy winner Lamar. And crip walk is a part of California’s culture, often criticized for being associated with gang violence.

When Lamar was headlined for performing at halftime, he made sure to have his fellow Compton native alongside him on the stage, making the show worth remembering for all. Serena Williams‘ presence added extra spotlight to the show, just like people expected. The fans were super impressed! From amusement to praise, the posts on X showcased a whirlwind of emotions.

Serena Williams receives compliments from Venus and others for her iconic moves

Serena Williams shared a small snippet of her crip walk off-stage and as soon as she did it, her elder sister dropped her reaction. “You did that!!! 💙✨ @serenawilliams,” Venus posted. Her words were a testament to the popularity of Serena’s iconic gesture, which was on show at the 2012 London Olympics as well.

The former World No. 1 was asked to dance when she defeated Maria Sharapova in the 2012 London Olympics finals. Williams performed the crip walk in front of the All England Club crowd. When asked about her moves in the post-match conference, she referred to her hometown’s legacy, sharing that it was a dance form done on California’s West Coast. “I don’t know. I don’t think I ever danced like that. I don’t even know where the dance came from. It’s just a dance we do in California, I’d say, West Coast,” she reflected. Keeping the essence of her hometown, Williams made it symbolic of her celebration.

Venus Williams’ praise was later echoed by Coco Gauff, who dubbed the 23-time Grand Slam winner the G.O.A.T. after that impressive crip walk. “Serena is the 🐐! icon doing iconic things,” she tweeted. She also shared a moment from that iconic performance on her Instagram story, writing “@serenawilliams ate that.”

Serena’s crip walk faced severe criticism back in 2012. Reflecting on that incident, journalist Bill Plaschke wrote, “Isn’t there some kind of dance done by multi-millionaires who live in exclusive South Florida neighborhoods? Serena C-walking at Wimbledon only shows how long she’s been away from home, separated from violence and death associated with that dance.” However, Serena hardly paid attention to the criticism.

And, her Superbowl performance is now receiving praise from all quarters. Another reaction from Naomi Osaka, who could not believe her eyes. “Oh nooooo 😭😭😭,” Osaka posted on X in amusement. The Japanese star, who once said about Serena, “I think that her legacy is really wide to the point where you can’t even describe it in words,” seemed completely spellbound of what the American legend did in the Super Bowl.

Serena Williams captured all the spotlight when she entered the stage in her blue co-ord outfit. She ditched the straight hair and appeared in her voluminous blonde curls. Did you like her performance? Share your thoughts in the comments below.