--- description: The two stars took to the VMAs stage to close the show with a basketball-themed performance of "Swish Swish." title: Watch Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj Ball Out at the VMAs image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3140de89d3377b8e/6988db6dab6d776ec66af90f/mtv-vmas-2017-98.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [MTV VMAs 2017](/tag/mtv-vmas-2017/) ## MTV VMAs 2017 Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Watch Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj Ball Out for Their VMAs Performance of 'Swish Swish'  by [Raisa Bruner](/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 28, 2017 5:22 AM CUT  by [Raisa Bruner](/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 28, 2017 5:22 AM CUT Katy Perry [doesn’t do understated](http://time.com/4911143/katy-perry-style-evolution-gallery-2/ "undefined"). So for the final act of Sunday night’s stacked roster of [live performances](http://time.com/4917950/pink-vmas-2017/ "undefined"), Perry and Nicki Minaj blew up the basketball metaphor on their song “Swish Swish” to epic, larger-than-life proportions. Starting out standing tall atop a giant, bedazzled basketball and watched over by an oversized human hand, Perry and her cohort of dancers — with nets across their faces — went all-in on the game-time theme of the song off of Perry’s _Witness_ album. (The official music video for the track, also heavy on the basketball, just [came out last week](http://time.com/4913950/katy-perry-swish-swish-video/ "undefined").) Perry eventually descended from her perch thanks to a rope hoist before joining in on the choreography. Minaj, of course, also made an appearance: this time, as a rapping referee of sorts in a black-and-white-striped costume, which was quite a switch-up from her earlier [Barbie pink latex get-up.](http://time.com/4918022/nicki-minaj-latex-mtv-vmas-2017/ "undefined") The two closed out a show filled with eye-catching spectacles: Pink’s [career-spanning medley](http://time.com/4917950/pink-vmas-2017/ "undefined"), evening winner Kendrick Lamar’s (literally) fiery opener and [Logic and Alessia Cara’s](http://time.com/4914128/mtv-video-music-awards-2017-winners/ "undefined") powerful plea for unity among them. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4918098/katy-perry-nick-minaj-vmas/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4918098/katy-perry-nick-minaj-vmas/"},"headline":"Watch Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj Ball Out for Their VMAs Performance of 'Swish Swish'","datePublished":"2017-08-28T05:22:59.000Z","dateModified":"2026-06-24T06:56:42.837Z","description":"The two stars took to the VMAs stage to close the show with a basketball-themed performance of \"Swish Swish.\"","url":"https://time.com/4918098/katy-perry-nick-minaj-vmas/","keywords":["MTV VMAs 2017","Newsfeed","awards","vmas"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3140de89d3377b8e/6988db6dab6d776ec66af90f/mtv-vmas-2017-98.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Raisa Bruner","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3140de89d3377b8e/6988db6dab6d776ec66af90f/mtv-vmas-2017-98.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"MTV-VMAS-2017","caption":"2017 MTV Video Music Awards - Roaming Show","creditText":"John Shearer—Getty Images for MTV","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/mtv-vmas-2017/","name":"MTV VMAs 2017"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4918098/katy-perry-nick-minaj-vmas/","name":"Watch Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj Ball Out for Their VMAs Performance of 'Swish Swish'"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"This Video Is No Longer Available","description":"The two stars took to the VMAs stage to close the show with a basketball-themed performance of \"Swish Swish.\"","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/fKodeUO6/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2026-06-23T15:00:44.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/fKodeUO6.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4918098/katy-perry-nick-minaj-vmas/","duration":"PT10S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4918098/katy-perry-nick-minaj-vmas/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```