All things considered, 2024 was a pretty good year in sports. The biggest events lived up to the hype and the biggest stars gave us some iconic performances. However, it wasn’t just a big year for sports between the lines, as 2024 continued to bring together the worlds of sports and music in some major ways.
Today, as the year is winding down, we wanted to look back on some of our favorite moments from 2024 where sports and music came together to give us some unforgettable moments.
DeMar DeRozan and Russell Westbrook going on stage at The Pop Out
One of the most compelling things in 2024 was the feud between Kendrick Lamar and Drake, and while this is very much in the eye of the beholder, I suspect most people will say Kendrick won. His victory lap came on Juneteenth, when thousands packed into the Kia Forum for The Pop Out. This included a number of celebrities — LeBron James and James Harden, for example, were seen in the crowd — but the defining moment came at the end, when Kendrick did “Not Like Us” five times in a row. More and more people hopped on stage as he kept repeating the song, which included DeRozan and Westbrook for his fourth performance.
DeMar DeRozan’s cameo in the “Not Like Us” video
Did it ruffle Drake’s feathers? It sure seems like it. But DeRozan eventually revealed that he has a long history with Lamar, a fellow Compton native who he considers “basically family.” He got shouted out in the song, and for a moment, the now-Kings star was in the biggest music video of the year.
Usher’s star-studded Super Bowl halftime show
The halftime show usually shows up on lists like this, but even acknowledging that, Usher’s performance was spectacular. He’s long been an incredible entertainer and has a lengthy discography that lets him go in a ton of different directions, both of which are crucial for a good halftime show. He was fantastic, as were the numerous artists who joined him at one time or another — Alicia Keys, will.i.am, Lil Jon, Ludacris, H.E.R., and Jackson State’s revered marching band Sonic Boom of the South were all part of the show.
Beyoncé’s Christmas Day performance
While the NBA ended up having the better slate of games on Christmas Day, the NFL had one thing they could not match: Beyoncé, who performed a Super Bowl halftime show-caliber set during the otherwise boring game between the Houston Texans and the Baltimore Ravens. She mixed original tracks off of “Cowboy Carter,” including her covers of The Beatles’ “Blackbird” and Dolly Parton’s “Jolene,” and her 2023 track “My House.” Shaboozey and Post Malone joined her on stage, as did Brittney Spencer, Reyna Roberts, Tanner Adell and Tiera Kennedy.
Simone Biles’ incredible “Ready For It?” floor routine that Taylor Swift loved
Biles triumphantly returned to the Olympic stage this year after a difficult 2021. This time around, she was nothing short of dominant, winning three golds and a silver in Paris. Before she got there, though, Biles threw down a spectacular floor routine set to “Ready For It?” by Taylor Swift. It went viral, got back to Swift, and completely blew her away, which she made clear with a tweet the following day.
Céline Dion at the Olympics
Dion’s first public performance in four years was worth the wait. The legendary Canadian singer, who has gone through a public battle with stiff-person syndrome, wrapped up the Opening Ceremony at the Summer Olympics in Paris with a performance of “Hymne à l’amour” while standing on the Eiffel Tower. It was a gigantic moment, one that the entire world was watching, and Dion met it with a performance that no one else on earth could replicate.
USA women’s water polo superfan Flavor Flav
The co-founder of Public Enemy was a constant presence in the stands in Paris, primarily for the U.S. women’s water polo team after he learned that the athletes have to work to support themselves as they chase their Olympic dreams. He went on to sponsor the team, hung out with Guy Fieri at one of their games, and made it a point to support other American Olympians, too, like when he showed Jordan Chiles some love after her bronze medal in individual floor exercise was taken away.
Summer Olympic correspondent Snoop Dogg
Snoop getting turned into a professional fan of American athletes in Paris was hilarious. Yes, he made a ton of money to promote the Olympics on NBC, but it also seemed like he had the time of his life going to random events and being himself. We did a run through of his best moments in France right here.
The continued rise of Flau’jae Johnson
On the court, Flau’jae is one of the brightest stars in women’s college hoops. She’s gotten better and better every year for the LSU Tigers, and as of this writing, she leads the undefeated, sixth-ranked Tigers in scoring, going for 20.3 points per game on 51.3 percent shooting from the field and 39.7 percent shooting from three. Off of it, she continues to be one of the best up-and-coming rappers in the game. She dropped her album “Best Of Both Worlds” earlier back in June, which included guest verses from NLE Choppa, Lil Wayne, and 2Rare.
Travis Kelce on stage at the Eras Tour
Kelce has been a fixture at the Eras Tour for quite some time now — as it turns out, dating Taylor Swift means getting tickets for this was much easier than it was for the rest of us. In June, he even made a surprise appearance on stage in London, as he hopped on stage as one of the dancers during Swift’s performance of “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart” at Wembley Stadium.