Shakira And Jennifer Lopez Take Heat For Kobe Bryant Super Bowl Tribute That Some Fans Say Was Too Subtle

Shakira and Jennifer Lopez promised fans a touching tribute to the late NBA legend Kobe Bryant during Sunday’s Super Bowl halftime show, and while a purple and yellow cross appeared in the background of the show, some fans say that the tribute was far too subtle, as Fox News reports.

Bryant died on January 26 after his helicopter slammed into the side of a mountain in Calabasas, California, killing him, his daughter Gianna, and seven other people on board, including the pilot. The group was headed to a basketball practice in Los Angeles before the aircraft crashed in foggy conditions.

As The Inquisitr previously reported, Lopez and Shakira promised — while speaking at a pre-game press conference — that they would honor the basketball giant with a tribute.

Shakira later reiterated the statement on her social media.

“We’ll all be remembering Kobe on Sunday and we’ll be celebrating life and celebrating diversity in this country. I’m sure he would be very proud to see the message that we’re going to convey on stage that day,” wrote Shakira.

During Sunday night’s show, Shakira and Lopez did a medley of their music featuring some of their biggest hits. At one point, Lopez performed solo before being joined by a surprise guest. As Lopez’s 11-year-old daughter joined her mother on stage, the camera panned across the scene from overhead. That’s when fans could see an illuminated cross presented in colors associated with the Los Angeles Lakers colors.

However, other than that brief appearance, there wasn’t any other mention of the basketball player during the halftime show — and the tribute was so brief that some fans didn’t even catch it.

“So Jennifer Lopez and Shakira used that they were doing a tribute to Kobe Bryant as an excuse to get their views up during the halftime show not only that but then they proceeded to do NO Kobe Bryant tribute like they said they would…but are we surprised?” wrote one viewer on Twitter.

Another Twitter user posted an image of Oprah looking bored.

Before the show, Lopez posted a tribute to Bryant on her Instagram page. In that share, she showed a picture of Bryant and herself smiling for the camera alongside their spouses.

Her caption mentioned that family is the most important thing, and that she was sending her love to the Bryant family.

“The most unfair thing in life is to lose a child and husband on the same day,” she wrote.