Britney Spears Hopes for NBA Star Victor Wembanyama Apology After Allegedly Being Hit by Security
“Traumatic experiences are not new to me and I have had my fair share of them. I was not prepared for what happened to me last night,” wrote the singer in a statement posted Thursday
Britney Spears, Victor Wembanyama MATT WINKELMEYER/GETTY IMAGES; AURELIEN MEUNIER/GETTY IMAGES
Britney Spears is speaking out after she filed a police report about an incident with a member of basketball player Victor Wembanyama’s security team. Spears alleges she was slapped by the security person Wednesday night at a Las Vegas restaurant.
Rolling Stone confirmed that an incident occurred and a police report was filed with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Thursday morning, with police indicating that they “responded to a property in the 3700 block of Las Vegas Boulevard regarding a battery investigation… The incident has been documented on a police report, and no arrest or citations have been issued.”
On Thursday, Spears posted a statement to Twitter addressing the incident, alleging that the San Antonio Spurs player’s security guard “back-handed me in the face without locking back, in front of a crowd” and that the incident “nearly knock[ed] me down and cause[ed] my glasses off my face.”
“Traumatic experiences are not new to me and I have had my fair share of them. 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,” she wrote. “I am aware of the player’s statement where he mentions ‘I grabbed him from behind’ but I simply tapped him on the shoulder.”
Wembanyama commented on the incident earlier on Thursday. His security had told him not to stop and talk to people because it would attract a crowd, he told reporters, so when people approached him, he kept walking. Somebody “grabbed me from behind — not on my shoulders — she grabbed me from behind,” he said, correcting TMZ’s report that she’d touched his shoulder.
“I just know that the security pushed me away. I don’t know with how much force, though,” he said. “But security pushed her away. I didn’t stop to look. I kept walking and enjoyed a nice dinner. That was a fun night.”
The athlete said he didn’t know it was Spears for hours. When he returned to his hotel, his security informed him of who she was. “At first, I was like, ‘No, you’re joking,’” he said. “But it turns out it was Britney Spears. I didn’t know because I never saw her face. I just kept on walking straight, and that’s it.”
TMZ first reported that Spears and her husband, Sam Asghari, and two friends were dining at Catch at the Aria Hotel when Spears approached Wembanyama to ask for a photo. Smith reportedly apologized to Spears at her table after the incident, per TMZ.
Asghari also commented on the alleged battery in an Instagram story, saying that he “opposed to violence in any form, especially without justification in the defense of yourself or someone else who is unable to defend themselves.
“Self-defense can be unavoidable, but the defense of any woman, especially my wife, is not debatable,” he wrote. “I consider my reaction subdued considering what occurred, and I hope the man in question learns a lesson and changes his disregard for women. Thank you for the support.”
Reps for Spears, Wembanyama, and the Spurs did not immediately respond to Rolling Stone’s requests for comment.
Spears will reportedly meet with Las Vegas police on Thursday.
The singer has been in headlines in recent months. Recently, she shot down rumors that she’d been having issues with drugs, which tabloid newspapers had been reporting.
“The fact that people are claiming things that are not true is so sad,” Spears said, calling the allegations “not true.” “This may not even be them saying such things because it doesn’t make any sense to me for them to be saying that.” She also posted that she had reconciled with her estranged mother, Lynne. “Time heals all wounds,” Britney wrote on Instagram.
This article was updated at 5:23 p.m. ET on July 6 to reflect Wembanyama’s interview with reporters and correct information based on what he said. It was also updated at 5:37 p.m. to include Sam Asghari’s comments and at 6.16 p.m. to include Britney Spears’ statement.
From Rolling Stone US.
