NYC native Cardi B showed up for her hometown with a fiery halftime show during Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs.
The rapper hit the court performing “Bodega Baddie” from her most recent album, September’s Am I the Drama?, surrounded by dancers in orange Knicks jersey dresses. As she made her way to center court, lucky fans inside Madison Square Garden for the pivotal game got a full look at Cardi’s floor-length hair blowing in the breeze and her low-cut gray bodysuit. Once she posted up on the stage, Cardi performed the hit that put her on the mainstream map: her first Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper “Bodak Yellow (Money Moves),” a three-week No. 1 in 2017.
Once she wrapped up her three-minute-plus set, Cardi settled into courtside seats underneath the basket with her 4-year-old son Wave for the second half. In one of a series of Instagram Stories posted from her seats, Cardi panned her phone camera over to the adjacent Spurs bench and quipped, “They got me right next to the opps! But I’mma be nice, ’cause I know this is a lot for them.”
Unfortunately, fans at home didn’t get to catch Cardi’s performance on the ABC broadcast, with only a sound-free video snippet playing as commentator Charles Barkley cracked jokes about the rapper’s revealing outfit. “I don’t know if those B’s. They might be Cardi D’s,” Barkley said to laughter from the rest of the panel. “I’m pretty sure those aren’t B’s. … She got the wrong initials.”
It looks like Cardi’s halftime set did air on the premium NBA League Pass broadcast, as some produced clips were shared around social media.
To start the game, Broadway star Avery Wilson performed the national anthem. Wilson has become somewhat of a lucky charm for the Knicks, performing “The Star-Spangled Banner” for the majority of the team’s 2026 postseason run.
The NYC team leads the series 2-0, winning both of the first two games in San Antonio.
Watch some footage from inside Madison Square Garden here.
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