Super Bowl 2020: Jennifer Lopez, Shakira Pay Touching Tribute to Kobe Bryant During Halftime Show

Jennifer Lopez and Shakira paid emotional tribute to Kobe Bryant during their Super Bowl 2020 halftime show performance Sunday night in a moment that was seemingly missed by many. Following performances of “Whenever, Wherever,” “Hips Don’t Lie,” and “Jenny from the Block,” the performance took a moment to subtly honor the late NBA legend, who died in a helicopter crash just a week prior.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the moment of tribute came as Lopez’s 11-year-old daughter Emme joined her and Shakira onstage for “Let’s Get Loud.” An overhead shot of the field showing a giant cross lit up in purple and yellow, the colors of the Los Angeles Lakers, the team on which Bryant played from 1996 until his 2016 retirement.

The moment, which came toward the end of the halftime show, was missed by most, while those who caught it felt that it was underwhelming in comparison to other tributes to the late basketball star, including a moment of silence at the start of the game.

“Must have missed it,” wrote one person.

“It was pathetic and embarrassing,” added another.

“Never noticed,” tweeted a third.

Fans had seemingly been expecting a much more prominent moment of tribute given the promises the two singers had made just days before the big game. Speaking at a Thursday press conference, Lopez and Shakira had said they would include a “heartfelt” tribute to Bryant during their “packed” performance.

“Life is so fragile,” Shakira said. “We will all be remembering Kobe on Sunday and we will be celebrating life and celebrating diversity. I’m sure he will be very proud of the message we will be trying to convey on stage.”

Lopez also reflected on why paying tribute to Bryant was so important to her.

“I was in the middle of rehearsing and talking about this show and [my fiancé] Alex [Rodriguez] came to me with tears in his eyes and he’s like, ‘You’re not going to believe what happened,’” she recalled. “And he was devastated. I think it’s just affecting everybody so much because it’s just reminding us how fragile life is and how we have to appreciate every single moment.”

“I think of how awful that must be for her [Vanessa Bryant] right now,” she added. “I’ve just been praying that God guides her through every moment because she has three more babies to take care of and just wishing that the nightmare was over but it’s not going to be. That’s life and we have to carry on. But at the same time, it affects us and it will affect us forever.”

Sunday’s game, which saw the Kansas City Chiefs winning 31-20 against the San Francisco 49ers, came a week to the day that Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven others were killed in a Calabasas, California, helicopter crash.