Sports

Spurs' Julian Champagnie Defends Carter Bryant After Public Bathroom Debacle

During the San Antonio Spurs‘ loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Oklahoma City on Wednesday, Spurs rookie Carter Bryant rushed to a bathroom at Paycom Center.

A video began circulating on X on Thursday showing Bryant using the public restroom among Thunder fans with the caption, “Midgame [by the way].” The original TikTok by Keith Hilliary has been viewed over 672,000 times, and major sports accounts such as Legion Hoops reposted it, making it even more viral.

In an AI world, it’s hard to know what’s fake and what’s real, and many people, including Spurs Radio Network host Karl Schoening, assumed it was an AI-generated video.

Spurs forward Julian Champagnie legitimized the video when he confirmed he’d seen it and defended Bryant against being filmed without his consent in the bathroom.

“I mean, personally, I wouldn’t want to be recorded in the bathroom,” Champagnie said, per The Athletic’s Jared Weiss. “He had to go to the bathroom. I don’t know what else he was supposed to do. He had to go to the bathroom. He wants the quickest one. I don't see anything wrong with it. I think, if anything, we should stop recording people in the bathroom.”

Champagnie added, “I think CB handled it great. He just washed his hands. Obviously, me knowing CB, I know that he saw the kids recording him. But just wash your hands, get up out of there, and just keep it pushing. There’s nothing really to say, nothing really to do, because if he does turn around and say anything, it can be taken in a negative way.”

The Spurs and Thunder are locked into a heavyweight Western Conference Finals. The reigning champion Thunder hadn’t lost a game in these NBA playoffs until Victor Wembanyama went off for 41 points and 24 rebounds, and the Spurs defeated them in double overtime in Game 1 on Monday. The Thunder took Game 2, 112-113.

The series will shift to Frost Bank Center in San Antonio for Games 3 and 4 this weekend, beginning with Game 3 on Friday night.

2026 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.

This story was originally published May 22, 2026 at 1:32 PM.

Get one year of unlimited digital access for $159.99
#ReadLocal

Only 44¢ per day

SUBSCRIBE NOW