After making Drake and his OVHOs turn off their TV, tennis star Serena Williams is setting the record straight about her show-stopping appearance withKendrick Lamar at the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show.
The tennis legend, who joined K-Dot for performance to “Not Like Us,” had everyone convinced her Crip Walk was her dancing on her old flame, Drake’s metaphorical grave. But in a new interview with TIME100, Williams volleyed those rumors right out of bounds.
“Absolutely not, I would never do that,” she insisted. “That was sad, that anyone would ever think that.”
Serena Williams revealed that Lamar personally reached out just weeks before the big game, inspired by her iconic Crip Walk at the 2012 Olympics and their shared Compton roots. Though she hesitated at first, Williams ultimately agreed, calling the performance “an exclamation” on her legacy as a champion from the West Coast.
As for Drake? Williams says there’s no bad blood. “I’ve known him for so many years. I have never had negative feelings towards him,” she said, brushing off any talk of a feud. Still, fans with long memories might recall her playful jab at the 2024 ESPYs: “The next time Drake sits courtside at a Raptors game, they’re going to Forrest Gump him. Seats taken.”
Despite the social media storm, Serena Williams insists her Super Bowl moment was all about celebration, not shade.
