‘Respect Britney Spears’ Trends as Differing Slap Stories Emerge — Here’s Who’s Saying What

After nearly a full day of silence following the now infamous incident Friday night involving Spears and San Antonio Spurs player Victor Wembanyama, the “…Baby One More Time” singer broke her silence with an Instagram post detailing her side of the story, and lambasting Wembanyama’s response to the media.

As Spears explained it, she recognized the 19-year-old NBA newcomer at a restaurant and attempted to make contact with him to “congratulate him on his success.” She then refutes Wembanyama’s claim that he was “grabbed” from behind, insisting she “simply tapped him on the shoulder.”

“His security then back handed me in the face without looking back, in front of a crowd,” Spears said of the “traumatic” incident, “nearly knocking me down and causing my glasses [to fall] off my face.”

She went on to note that she gets “swarmed by people all the time,” including that very night. She also travels with security, as Wembanyama was. “My security team didn’t hit any of them,” she said.

She intimated that she was only talking about the “super embarrassing” incident because it was already in the news cycle, and because she wants to “urge people in the public eye to set an example and treat all people with respect.”

“Physical violence is happening too much in this world. Often behind closed doors,” Spears continued. “I stand with all the victims and my heart goes out to all of you!!!”

At this point, she called for a public apology from Wembanyama, saying she had yet to receive one from him, his security team or the San Antonio Spurs. “I hope they will…” she wrote.

The pop star also took issue with Wembanyama laughing and smiling as he did throughout his press response to the Wednesday night incident. “I also don’t appreciate nor do I think this is a laughing matter,” she emphasized. “Watching the player smile and laugh was cruel and demoralizing with the situation that took place. I am 5’3″ and he’s 7’4″…”

She then took a moment to thank the Las Vegas PD for their support. According to TMZ, authorities spoke with Spears on Thursday morning as part of a criminal investigation into the matter, with the outlet reporting Metro PD are taking the incident “as serious as a heart attack.”

The outlet also spoke with a person who claimed to be an eye witness to the altercation at the restaurant. According to the man, he saw it all went down. He watched Spears approach Wembanyama’s entourage. He said he could hear her say (in a British accent), “Excuse me, sir,” as she touched his back. And it was at that point, the man says Wembanyama’s head of security backhanded her in the face.

A law enforcement source told TMZ that video footage shows that the security guard swung back and hit Spears’ hand and it was her own hand that hit her face, knocking off her glasses, but their eyewitness disputes this version of events. He also said that Spears shouted after the group, “This is f—ing America!!!” — still in a British accident.

Just as the eyewitness disputes what the police said happened, Spears was disagreeing with Wembanyama’s recollection of the incident, as well. The basketball prospect spoke on KENS 5 on Thursday afternoon where he claimed an unnamed woman “grabbed me from behind.”

Wembanyama acknowledged that he knew his security had knocked back a woman, but he “didn’t know with how much force” and he nevertheless “didn’t stop to look so I could walk in and enjoy the nice dinner.”

Wembanyama laughed about the incident more than once while speaking with the media and never identified the woman involved. It wasn’t until a follow-up asked him if the woman he mentioned was Spears that he admitted it was, saying he didn’t know until several hours later.

Spears’ husband, Sam Asghari, was with her during the incident, and released a statement of his own to his Instagram Stories, as captured by TMZ. He also shared his wife’s later statement on the same platform.

His statement came in two different slides, though only the first one remains on his page. In it, he said that he’s “opposed to violence in any form, especially without justification,” excepting for self-defense or the defense of others.

That said, he added that “the defense of any woman, expecially my wife, is not debatable. I consider my reaction subdued considering what occurred, and I hope the man in question learns a lesson and change his disregard for women. Thank you for the support.”

Asghari was a little kinder to Wembanyama in the statement slide that is no longer on his IG Stories, but was screen captured by TMZ. In it, he said that “the violent behavior of an out-of-control security guard should not cast a shadow on the accomplishment of a great young man on the rise.”

Instead, he wanted to put the blame firmly on “the coward who did this,” saying that the man’s actions represented “a systemic culture of disregard for women within sports and entertainment.”

“I can’t imagine a scenario where and unarmed female fan showing any kind of excitement or appreciation for a celebrity would cause her to be physically assaulted,” Asghari continued, “much less being hit in the face for tapping someone on the shoulder.”

“The changes needed will have to come from the top,” he wrote, “and I look forward to those changes.” It is not clear why this second and newer slide is no longer on Asghari’s IG Stories.

According to TMZ, the security personnel who allegedly backhanded Spears came to her table at the restaurant on Wednesday night and apologized personally, which she reportedly accepted. “You understand how it is when you’re being swarmed by fans,” he purportedly said.

Despite his apology, Spears’ team reportedly spoke with the man and proceeded to file a police report alleging battery. The case will “likely” be referred to the district attorney’s office, per the outlet. The man’s name, as listed on the police report, is Damian Smith, Director of Team Security for the San Antonio Spurs.

As the story continued to twist and turn throughout the day on Thursday, Britney Spears’ name was trending high on Twitter, alongside “Respect Britney Spears.” While it wasn’t unanimous support for the “Scream & Shout” singer, the platform’s users definitely have her back.