Britney Spears was slapped by NBA star Victor Wembanyama's security in Las Vegas when she tried to ask for a photo: TMZ
AP Photo
- Britney Spears was slapped by someone on Victor Wembanyama's security team on Wednesday night, TMZ reported.
- The pop star tapped the NBA star on the shoulder to ask for a photo before being hit, TMZ reported.
- Police said they investigated a "battery" incident, but made no arrests.
Britney Spears was slapped by someone on NBA star Victor Wembanyama's security team Wednesday night after asking for a photo at a restaurant in Las Vegas, TMZ reported.
Insider could not independently verify that Spears or Victor Wembanyama's team were involved in the altercation. Photos show Wembanyama and Spears at the same restaurant but did not capture the reported incident.
TMZ reported that Spears and her husband, Sam Asghari, were out to dinner at Catch in the Aria Hotel with two other friends when Spears spotted Wembanyama.
A fan of his, Spears approached the NBA player and tapped him on his shoulder to ask for a photo, TMZ reported.
The director of team security for the San Antonio Spurs, Damian Smith, then backhanded Spears, knocking her to the ground, according to TMZ.
Smith later apologized to Spears, TMZ reported, adding that when he slapped her, he didn't know who she was.
Spears spoke out about the night in a statement posted to Twitter on Thursday, calling the incident, "traumatic," "cruel and demoralizing."
She said she recognized Wembanyama and approached him to "congratulate him on his success."
"I simply tapped him on the shoulder," Spears wrote. "His security then back handed me in the face without looking back, in front of a crowd. Nearly knocking me down and causing my glasses to fall off my face."
—Britney Spears ???????? (@britneyspears) July 6, 2023
In a longer statement posted to her Instagram account, Spears added that it was not a "laughing matter."
"Watching the player smile and laugh was cruel and demoralizing," she wrote on Instagram. "I am 5'3 and he's 7'4..."
Chris Pizzello/AP Images
Afterward, TMZ reported that both Spears' and Wembanyama's security teams spoke before Spears filed a police report.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department told Insider that cops investigated a "battery" allegation at the location of the restaurant that night, but would not confirm who was involved.
Las Vegas police's statement said that "the incident has been documented on a police report and no arrest or citations have been issued."
Wembanyama is a 19-year-old French basketball star who previously made headlines because he was selected by the Spurs as the number one pick in the 2023 NBA draft.
The "Boys" singer has been a fan of the sport since she was young and played on her high school basketball team. Spears also memorably played in a celebrity basketball game in the early 2000s with her ex Justin Timberlake.
Bob Edme/AP Images
Spears married Asghari in June 2022 after being released from a legal conservatorship that prevented her from doing so. The couple recently celebrated their first anniversary on June 9 and Asghari posted Instagram stories to mark the milestone.
Later in June, Spears posted a video of herself dancing on a boat and said she was visiting her previously estranged sister Jamie Lynn Spears "on set" of Jamie Lynn's upcoming Paramount+ movie "Zoey 102."
Representatives for Spears and for the San Antonio Spurs did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.
July 6, 2023, 6:47 p.m. ET: This story has been updated to include Spears' comments on Instagram and Twitter.