Britney Spears fans came out in full force when Victor Wembanyama struggled in his NBA Summer League debut.
Earlier this week, Spears approached Wembanyama from behind outside a restaurant at the ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, and she was slapped by one of his security guards.
Wembanyama, the first overall pick in the NBA draft by the Spurs last month, played in his first NBA Summer League game on Friday night against the Hornets.
Wembanyama shot 2-for-13 from the field in the game, and was posterized on a dunk by Kai Jones.
Fans of Spears, the 41-year-old pop singer, pounced on Wembanyama.
One Twitter user edited the video of Wembanyama getting dunked on to include Spears’ “Baby One More Time” music in the background.
Another account posted side-by-side videos of Wembanyan’s debut going poorly, with Spears’ “Baby One More Time” music video, which catapulted her to superstardom.
A third wrote, “Britney’s voodoo working its magic as always,” accompanied by several lowlight clips.
Flanked by security guards, Wembanyama was walking toward the CATCH restaurant at the ARIA on Wednesday.
Video emerged showing Spears running up to approach Wembanyama from behind, tapping him on the shoulder.
At this moment, Spurs security guard Damian Smith slapped Spears, whose hand then appeared to smack her own face.
Wembanyama said he didn’t realize it had been Spears who was slapped until hours later.
“When I got back to the hotel, I didn’t forget about this, but I thought it was no big deal. And then [I was told] this was Britney Spears. At first, I was like, ‘No, you’re joking!’ But yeah, it turns out it was Britney Spears,” Wembanyama told reporters on Thursday.
Spears called for a public apology.
“Traumatic experiences are not new to me and I have had my fair share of them,” she wrote on Instagram.
“I was not prepared for what happened to me last night. I recognized an athlete in my hotel lobby as I was heading to dinner. I later went to a restaurant at a different hotel and saw him again. I decided to approach him and congratulate him on his success. It was really loud, so I tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention.
“I am aware of the players [sic] statement where her mentions ‘I grabbed him from behind’ but I simply tapped him on the shoulder. His security then back handed me in the face without looking back, in front of a crowd. Nearly knocking me down and causing my glasses off my face.”
No charges were filed in the incident.
