Britney Spears releases statement after being slapped by NBA star Victor Wembanyama’s security

6 Min Read
Britney Spears iHeartRadio Music Festival - Day 2 - Backstage
Entertainer Britney Spears attends the iHeartRadio Music Festival at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on September 21, 2013 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Isaac Brekken/Getty Images for Clear Channel)

Britney Spears was allegedly assaulted on Wednesday night (Jul. 05, 2023) in Las Vegas.

The 41-year-old pop star allegedly approached NBA star Victor Wembanyama and was backhanded in the face by Damian Smith, the San Antonio Spursโ€™ director of team security, leading her to file a police report, via TMZ.

The apparent incident happened at Catch restaurant in the ARIA Hotel around 8:30 PM. Britney, along with her husband Sam Asghari and two other people went for dinner when they spotted the sports star.

Victor Wembanyama
French basketball player Victor Wembanyama demonstrates his skills following a news conference introducing the Spurs 2023 Draft Class, at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas, on June 24, 2023. (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)

โ€œWeโ€™re told sheโ€™s a fan and went over to him to ask if they could take a photo together. She tapped him on his back, right shoulder and, weโ€™re told the Director of Team Security for the San Antonio Spurs โ€” the team that drafted Victor last month โ€” instantly backhanded her, causing her to fall to the ground โ€ฆ knocking her glasses off,โ€ the outlet reported.

According to TMZ:

Brian Grajales, a Canadian who was outside Catch restaurant Wednesday night says he saw Britney approach Victorโ€™s entourage, clearly wanting to take a photo with him.

Brian says she โ€œinfiltratedโ€ her way into his circle, leaned in, and in a British accent, said, โ€œExcuse me, sir โ€ฆ excuse me, sir.โ€ She then touched Victorโ€™s back, and thatโ€™s when he says the head of Victorโ€™s security backhanded her right in the face.

One law enforcement source told TMZ, the security guy hit Britneyโ€™s hand and her hand then hit her face, but Brian squarely disputes that. He says the security guy struck her.

He says Victor walked into the restaurant, and, in a British accent, Britney screamed, โ€œThis is f**king America!!!โ€

After the incident, the San Antonio Spurs playerโ€™s head of security then โ€œwent over to Britney and apologized and their security teams chatted for a while,โ€ the insider said, noting that โ€œa police report was filed by Britneyโ€™s team.โ€

Britney Spears The St. Bernard Project & The Spears Family Presents An Evening Of "Southern Style" - Arrivals
Recording artist Britney Spears attends An Evening of โ€œSouthern Styleโ€ presented by the St. Bernard Project & the Spears family at a private residence on May 11, 2011 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by David Livingston/Getty Images)

Spears on Thursday evening (Jul. 06, 2023) released a statement addressing the incident, denying that she grabbed NBA star Victor Wembanyama and claiming that she merely tapped him on the shoulder. This prompted Damian Smith, the Spursโ€™ director of team security, to โ€œback hand me in the face without looking back.โ€ Spears called the incident a โ€œtraumatic experience,โ€ and pointed out that despite Smithโ€™s insistence that he responded in this manner because Wembanyama is frequently swarmed by fans, โ€œI get swarmed by people all the time. In fact, that night. โ€ฆ My security team didnโ€™t hit any of them.โ€

According to Spearsโ€™ statement, sheโ€™s โ€œyet to get a public apology from the player, his security or his organization,โ€ but โ€œ[hopes] they will.โ€ Spears concluded, โ€œPhysical violence is happening too much in this worldโ€ฆ I stand with all the victims and my heart goes out to all of you!โ€ Her full statement is included below:

Victor Wembanyama Says He Was โ€œGrabbed From Behindโ€

According to the Associated Press via Billboard:

Wembanyama said security advised him to not stop for anyone as he walked into the restaurant, mindful that pausing could cause a stir and allow a crowd to build.

โ€œSomething did happen, a little bit, when I was walking with some security from the team to some restaurant,โ€ Wembanyama said. โ€œWe 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.

โ€œI couldnโ€™t stop. That person was calling me, โ€˜Sir, sir,โ€™ and that person grabbed me from behind,โ€ Wembanyama said. โ€œI didnโ€™t see what happened because I was walking straight and didnโ€™t stop. That person grabbed me from behind โ€” not on my shoulder, she grabbed me from behind. I just know the security pushed her away. I donโ€™t know with how much force but security pushed her away. I didnโ€™t stop to look so I could walk in and enjoy a nice dinner.โ€

Victor Wembanyama 2023 NBA Draft
Victor Wembanyama arrives prior to the first round of the 2023 NBA Draft at Barclays Center on June 22, 2023 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)

Stay tuned to see how all of this plays out.


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