NBA rookie Victor Wembanyama, who was chosen by the San Antonio Spurs as their No. 1 overall pick in last month’s NBA draft, landed in some controversy Wednesday evening when a member of his security allegedly smacked pop legend Britney Spears outside of Catch restaurant at the Aria Hotel and Casino.
The 19-year-old French player has received lots of attention and fans since hitting the NBA scene, enough to where Spurs sent their security to escort Wembanyama to Catch, a restaurant in the ARIA Hotel in Las Vegas, where he stopped to sign autographs for fans gathered outside at about 8:30 p.m.
San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama, the No. 1 draft pick, greets fans before an NBA basketball press conference, Saturday, June 24, 2023, at the AT&T Center in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)
An eyewitness told TMZ that the Queen of Pop approached Wembanyama for a photo, “infiltrated her way into his circle, leaned in, and in a British accent, said, ‘Excuse me, sir … excuse me, sir’ … then touched Victor’s back.” Right after that, TMZ reported, Wembanyama’s head of security “backhanded her right in the face.” According to TMZ:
[The witness] says Britney’s sunglasses flew off, but he doesn’t recall if she fell, but there was a lot of commotion.
He says Victor walked into the restaurant, and, in a British accent, Britney screamed, “This is f**king America!!!”
Britney Spears and Sam Asghari appear at the Los Angeles premiere of “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” on July 22, 2019. (Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Law enforcement had a different version of the story, saying that video footage shows the security officer hitting Spears’s hand and her hand then hitting her own face.
Moments ago,#Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama addresses the incident last night with Britney Spears in Las Vegas: pic.twitter.com/T33s7R4yUl
— Nate Ryan (@nateryansports) July 6, 2023
Wembanyama spoke with the press on Thursday about the incident, saying:
I couldn’t stop. That person was calling me, ‘Sir, sir,’ and that person grabbed me from behind. … 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.
Spears also issued a statement, on her Twitter account, where she disputed the player’s account of being “grabbed from behind.” Instead, she claims she simply “tapped him on the shoulder.”
I am aware the players statement where he 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 the crowd. Nearly knocking me down and causing my glasses off my face.
— Britney Spears 🌹🚀 (@britneyspears) July 6, 2023
“Britney’s security team spent time with Victor’s security guy, and afterward her team filed a police report with the Metropolitan Police Dept. alleging battery,” TMZ reported. They also said the case could go to the D.A.