Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, was unlike anything we had seen on that stage before. The 31-year-old became the first musician to perform entirely in Spanish, and while he dazzled the millions watching worldwide, fans pointed out he also threw shade at Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James.
“Y de Barea, el que fue campeón, primero que LeBron,” Bad Bunny sang at one point, which translates to, “And Barea, the one who became champion before LeBron.”
Bad Bunny DISSED LeBron James during the halftime show 😭
“Y de Barea, el que fue campeón primero que Lebron”
Translates to:
“And Barea, the one who became champion before LeBron”pic.twitter.com/NjA4CdGXGM
— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) February 9, 2026
Now, it should be pointed out that this is a lyric from Bad Bunny’s 2022 hit “El Apagón.” It’s less about taking a shot at James and more about hyping up a fellow Puerto Rican in JJ Barea.
Barea’s Dallas Mavericks had, of course, beaten James’ Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals. The Mavericks were given little to no chance to take down the Heat and pulled off one of the greatest upsets in NBA history. That triumph made Barea just the second Puerto Rican to win an NBA title, after Butch Lee in 1980 with the Lakers. It was a proud moment for everyone from the island.
As for Bad Bunny and James, they are actually on good terms. The four-time NBA champion had spoken about the rapper being named as the headline act for the halftime show on the Mason and Ireland Show on ESPN Los Angeles at the Lakers’ media day on Sept. 29, 2025.
“I’m super happy for Bad Bunny that he’s able to represent the Super Bowl in San Francisco,” James said, via Access Bad Bunny. “That’s gonna be super dope, and hopefully I could be there, man, just to support him. He’s a great friend of mine, so that was great to see that announcement.”
James calling Bad Bunny a great friend three years after that song was released should tell you there isn’t any real bad blood here. You doubt he will take issue with the 31-year-old over this.
It doesn’t appear as if James was able to make it to the Super Bowl, though. Perhaps with the Lakers taking on the Oklahoma City Thunder at Crypto.com Arena on Monday at 10 PM ET, he decided against making the trip.
The Lakers go into that game on the back of a 105-99 win over the Golden State Warriors on Saturday. It was their third straight win, and James finished the night with 20 points (6-17 FG), seven rebounds, 10 assists, one steal, and one block.
As for Sunday’s mega event, the Seattle Seahawks beat the New England Patriots 29-13 to win their second Super Bowl in franchise history.
