One of the biggest topics to come out of Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl LIX halftime show was the surprise appearance by Serena Williams. Many people believe she crip walked during “Not Like Us” as a shot to her ex-boyfriend and Lamar’s foe, Drake. Her husband Alexis Ohanian, however, explained there was a deeper reason for her presence.

“Some of y’all have no idea how criticized Serena was for this same dance at Wimbledon 13 years ago and it shows,” he wrote on X. “This is bigger than the music.” The Reddit founder was referring to the 2012 London Olympics when the retired tennis player was panned for crip walking after winning the gold medal. Critics claimed the dance “glorified gang culture,” despite the fact it has become a regular dance move even among those who are non-affiliated.

Williams revealed that Lamar’s team specifically asked her to appear in the performance because of what she went through in 2012. “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 on Instagram. “I’m like Super Bowl? Are you serious? When in the world would I ever be able to dance at a superbowl? (Never) let’s do it! I knew my winning dance after the @olympics would pay off one day. End of story.”