The intersection of sports, entertainment, and politics took center stage following Super Bowl LX tonight. As Bad Bunny headlined the Halftime Show, his friends within the Lakers circle celebrated his performance. However, not everyone was impressed. The most prominent critic was the President of the United States.

Amid the wave of criticism, a Lakers champion publicly supported his favorite artist. After President Donald Trump issued a scathing critique of Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, aka Bad Bunny, and his historic all-Spanish headlining set, several figures came to the Puerto Rican superstar’s defense. Among them was Dwight Howard.

The three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year dismissed the criticism by praising the artist’s stage presence and execution. “Like I told you before, best performer I ever witnessed! You killed it bro @badbunnypr,” Howard posted on Instagram.

It accompanied a picture with the 6’10” big man and the Grammy-winner himself. He doubled up by sharing the same picture on his Stories and wrote, “Legendary 😮‍💨🔥Dale 🇵🇷.” (‘Dale’ roughly translates to “let’s go” in Spanish.)

It’s unclear when this photo was taken, but it’s amusing that Howard didn’t focus on the new Super Bowl champions, the Seattle Seahawks or the New England Patriots. Instead, he shared posts about attending Sports Illustrated’s Super Bowl event, some memes, and Bad Bunny, showing little interest in the game itself. This highlights how much his friend’s major performance meant to him.

Bad Bunny unites the NBA world

As Bad Bunny broke traditional Super Bowl norms by fully embracing Latin Caribbean culture, the response has been mixed, with both criticism and praise emerging from various corners of the sports world.

The most prominent critic was President Donald Trump. In a social media post, he called the performance “absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER.” He called the departure from the usual Halftime spectacle a “‘slap in the face’ to our country,” and said there is “nothing inspirational about this mess of a Halftime Show.”

“It makes no sense, is an affront to the Greatness of America, and doesn’t represent our standards of Success, Creativity, or Excellence. Nobody understands a word this guy is saying, and the dancing is disgusting, especially for young children that are watching from throughout the U.S.A., and all over the World,” Trump wrote.

However, the rebuttal from his fans and the sports world was swift and personal. Besides Dwight Howard, even JJ Barea hyped up his friend. Puerto Rico-born Barea, who won the 2011 championship with the Mavs, got a special shoutout alongside LeBron James in the performance.

His old friend, Luka Doncic, hyped him long before that. Donovan Mitchell, who was at Levi’s Stadium for his fiancée, Coco Jones’ pregame performance, showed his excitement with a tell-all tweet, “BAD BUNNY‼️‼️‼️”

And Jalen Brunson had gratitude for the spectacle he witnessed by writing, “Thank you Benito.” His teammate, Karl-Anthony Towns was feeling the Caribbean vibes that prompted him to write, “NUEVAYOLLLLLLLL.”

As Howard and other NBA stars continue to show love to Bad Bunny, the narrative has shifted to the intersection of sports culture and music through this Puerto Rican’s artistry.