San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama said Thursday that he believes Britney Spears grabbed him from behind as he was walking into a restaurant at a Las Vegas casino and that the security detail he was with pushed the pop star away.
Wembanyama said he wasn’t told that Spears was the person who grabbed him until hours later.
Spears filed a police report claiming she was struck by a security guard while trying to get Wembanyama’s attention, according to TMZ, which first reported alleged details of the incident that took place Wednesday night near a restaurant at the ARIA hotel and casino.
TMZ said Spears noticed Wembanyama and tapped him on the shoulder in an effort to get his attention for a photo and that she wound up being struck in the face and having her glasses knocked off.
Spears addressed the incident in an Instagram story Thursday afternoon, saying it was “super embarrassing to share with the world but its out there already.”
She disputed Wembanyama’s account that she had grabbed him, saying she just “simply tapped him on the shoulder” and that his security “backhanded me in the face without looking back, in front of a crowd. Nearly knocking me down and causing my glasses off my face.”
“I have yet to get a public apology from the player, his security or their organization,” Spears wrote. “I hope they will …”
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department issued a statement to the Los Angeles Times saying officers responded to a “battery investigation” at that address without specifying any individual names. The statement went on to say that “no arrest or citations have been issued” and that “no further details will be provided at this time.”
Wembanyama said security advised him not to stop for anyone as he walked into the restaurant, mindful that pausing could cause a stir and allow a crowd to build.
“Something did happen, a little bit, when I was walking with some security from the team to some restaurant,” Wembanyama said. “We were in the hall. There was a lot of people, so people were calling [at] me, obviously. There was one person who was calling me, but we talked before with security.
“I couldn’t stop. That person was calling me, ‘Sir, sir,’ and that person grabbed me from behind,” he added. “I didn’t see what happened because I was walking straight and didn’t stop. That person grabbed me from behind — not on my shoulder, she grabbed me from behind. I just know the security pushed her away. I don’t know with how much force, but security pushed her away. I didn’t stop to look so I could walk in and enjoy a nice dinner.”
Wembanyama said he was unaware the situation had made headlines until Thursday.
“I didn’t know for a couple hours, but when I came back to the hotel … I thought it was no big deal, and then security of the Spurs told me it was Britney Spears,” Wembanyama said. “At first, I was like, ‘You’re joking,’ but yeah, it turns out it was Britney Spears. I never saw her face. I just kept walking straight.”
Spears said she gets “swarmed by people all the time,” including Wednesday night, but that her security team “didn’t hit any of them.” She urged “people in the public eye to set an example and treat all people with respect.”
Wembanyama will make his NBA summer league debut with the Spurs on Friday night in Las Vegas against the Charlotte Hornets. He signed some autographs for fans at ARIA on Wednesday night and did the same for a small number of onlookers as he entered a local high school for practice with the Spurs on Thursday morning.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
