Serena Williams And Kendrick Lamar's Relationship Explained The List

Fans were surprised to see Serena Williams dancing during Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl LIX performance, but these two proud Compton natives actually go way back.
Serena Williams And Kendrick Lamar's Relationship Explained The List

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By Feb. 12, 2025 6:30 am EST

During the halftime show at Super Bowl LIX, Kendrick Lamar made history as the first-ever solo rap artist to headline the coveted slot. Following a medley of some of his biggest hits — which truly showcased Lamar's career transformation into a genuine superstar — the celebrated, Pulitzer Prize-winning artist delivered a performance of his now-iconic Drake diss track "Not Like Us," which was accompanied by one of the halftime show's buzziest surprises in the former of tennis star Serena Williams crip walking at the side of the stage.

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While her appearance was brief, fans couldn't get over Williams' surprise cameo, and many began enthusiastically speculating about why she was involved and what it could all mean. Although it wasn't hard to connect the dots between the target of the Grammy-winning diss track, and the legendary athlete's own past rumored relationship with Drake. As it turns out, their complicated history may have played a key role in Lamar's decision to reach out to Williams and ask her to join him on stage at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.

It's worth pointing out that the tennis icon never mentioned Drake or any past tensions. Instead, the record-breaking sports star (Williams officially retired from tennis in 2022) simply celebrated getting to be a part of the big game, and showing off her dance moves in the process. In a video posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, after the performance, Williams referenced her penchant for dancing after big victories in the past, excitedly joking, "Man, I did not crip walk like that at Wimbledon. Oooh, I would've been fined!"

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Serena Williams was romantically linked to Drake in 2015

The origins of Serena Williams' unexpected appearance at the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show go back a decade to 2015, during one of her biggest seasons in tennis. It was around this time that rumors surfaced linking the tennis superstar to Drake. The "God's Plan" hitmaker was frequently spotted in the stands watching her matches, and spending quality time with the pro-athlete afterwards too. While it was unclear just how romantic the nature of their relationship was, if at all, TMZ did get their hands on photos of Drake and Williams sharing a cozy, seemingly PDA-filled dinner together at the swanky Sotto restaurant in Cincinnati, after she won the WTA Tournament.

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However, whatever relationship they may have shared inevitably came to an end, and an insider later clarified to Us Weekly that they had more of a "flirty friendship" than a full-on romance. However, sports reporter Ben Rothenberg, who covered Williams' 2015 season extensively, recalled that it felt very one-sided overall, with Drake being considerably more interested in Williams than the other way around.

"He trailed Serena around the Wimbledon facilities like a puppy, following her wherever he could," Rothenberg reflected in an article published by Slate in 2025. Rothenberg added, "Drake was clearly very, very into Serena, but it was never clear how serious Serena was about him." And this was evident when news broke that Williams had sparked up a true romance with her future husband, Alexis Ohanian.

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Drake dissed Serena Williams and her husband in 2022

Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian first met in May 2015 during a chance encounter at a hotel restaurant in Rome, where they quickly began chatting. Then, a few months later, after the brief dating speculation with Drake, it was publicly announced that Williams and Ohanian were dating. In December 2015, the Reddit co-founder was Williams' plus-one at the ceremony where she accepted the Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year award. Then, in December 2016, Ohanian popped the question, and the two tied the knot less than a year later at a star-studded wedding ceremony in New Orleans.

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Apparently, it seems that Drake took things harder than one might expect considering he and the tennis star were apparently never officially together. Fans have long speculated that several of the "Degrassi: The Next Generation" alum's vaguer relationship-centric tracks may have been inspired by Williams, but in his 2022 song "Middle Of The Ocean," from Drake's album "Her Loss," he raps, "Sidebar, Serena, your husband a groupie / He claim we don't got a problem but / No boo, it is like you coming for sushi."

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While Williams didn't respond to the remark about her husband, Ohanian fired back in the classiest way possible. In November 2022, around the time of their five-year wedding anniversary, the businessman shared a snapshot of himself and their daughter, Olympia, watching Williams play tennis. "The reason I stay winning is because I'm relentless about being the absolute best at whatever I do — including being the best groupie for my wife & daughter," Ohanian captioned the X post, destroying Drake with pure cuteness.

Kendrick Lamar brought Serena Williams out for one of his biggest shows ever

For all intents and purposes, Kendrick Lamar won his high-profile feud with Drake (on which even Barak Obama has a stance) when he dropped "Not Like Us." The catchy song swiftly landed at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and swept the Grammys in February 2025, winning all the major categories it was nominated for including song of the year, record of the year, best rap song, best rap performance and best music video. Celebrity spats like this often don't have a clear winner, but considering Drake's response track, "The Heart Part 6," was a complete and total failure — and the Canadian rapper then sued Universal Music Group, claiming they lied about how popular "Not Like Us" was to inflate its numbers — it seems Lamar definitely came out on top.

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This is doubly true considering the fact that the Pulitzer Prize-winning performer was tapped for the Super Bowl halftime show. So, It seems that Lamar decided to reach out to Williams to put a brilliantly low-key nail in the coffin of their feud. It's especially fitting as the "Not Like Us" hitmaker specifically mentions the tennis icon in his hit song, warning Drake that he "better not speak on Serena."

The tennis superstar — who, like Lamar, grew up in Compton, California — just seemed excited to be a part of the proceedings. Williams proudly posed in her tennis-evoking blue skirt, white top, and blue jacket backstage, and shared a video on X, which she gleefully captioned: "Let's go Super Bowl halftime??! I died a little!"

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