Serena Williams has sparked controversy after performing the Crip Walk during Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show, with critics questioning whether she disrespected her late sister, Yetunde Price, who was murdered by a Crip gang member in 2003.
Williams, 43, was seen dancing to Lamar’s hit “Not Like Us” during the show, which took place at New Orleans’ Caesars Superdome. Her appearance immediately drew attention, as she executed the signature footwork associated with the Crips, a gang with deep ties to Compton, California—the same city where her sister was killed in a drive-by shooting.
Yetunde Price, the oldest half-sister of Serena and Venus Williams, was shot and killed on September 14, 2003, in Compton. A personal assistant to the Williams sisters and a nurse, Price was caught in gunfire by Robert Maxfield, a known Crip gang member. She was just 31 years old. Maxfield was later convicted of voluntary manslaughter and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Williams’ Super Bowl performance was met with mixed reactions, with some praising her participation in Lamar’s high-energy set, while others condemned her for what they saw as a thoughtless gesture. The Crip Walk, or C-Walk, has long been associated with the Los Angeles-based gang, making her decision particularly controversial given her family’s history with gang violence.
American columnist Jason Whitlock on his ‘Fearless’ podcast lashed out at Serena calling her a “clown”.

Speaking about her appearance, Williams revealed that Lamar personally invited her to join the performance. “When @kendricklamar and team called and was like ‘we’ve been trying to do something forever, what about this? We loved your Crip Walk at the Olympics after you won the gold medal,’” she wrote. “I’m like Super Bowl? Are you serious? When in the world would I ever be able to dance at a Super Bowl? (Never) let’s do it!”

Williams had previously performed the Crip Walk after her victory over Maria Sharapova in the 2012 London Olympics, which had also drawn criticism at the time. Reflecting on her Super Bowl appearance, she joked, “Man, I did not Crip Walk like that at Wimbledon. Oh, I would’ve been fined.”
However, not everyone saw it as lighthearted. Sports analysts and social media users pointed out the uncomfortable link between her dance and her sister’s murder. One ESPN commentator accused Williams of “trolling” her reported ex, Drake, who was the target of Lamar’s diss track “Not Like Us.” Others, however, believed Williams was simply celebrating her Compton roots and supporting Lamar, another Compton native, in a career-defining moment.