Britney Spears is giving her side of the story.
A member of Victor Wembanyama’s security detail reportedly slapped the 41-year-old pop star after she asked the No. 1 overall draft pick of the San Antonio Spurs for a picture in Las Vegas at Catch restaurant in the ARIA Hotel.
After the incident, it was said that Spears “composed herself” and accepted an apology from Spurs head of security Damian Smith, who TMZ reported hit Spears.
“You understand how it is when you’re being swarmed by fans,” Smith reportedly told the singer after the fracas.
But now, Spears is giving a different version of the events on her Instagram story, saying she saw Wembanyama twice across the night and wanted to congratulate him.
“Traumatic experiences are not new to me and I have had my fair share of them,” she wrote in an Instagram post Wednesday evening. “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. It was really loud, so I tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention.
“I am away of the players [sic] statement where her 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 a crowd. Nearly knocking me down and causing my glasses off my face.
“I get swarmed by people all the time. In fact, that night. I was swarmed by a group of at least 20 fans. My security team didn’t hit any of them.”
Spears continued that she has not received a “public apology” from Wembanyama, the security staff or the Spurs organization following the alleged incident but is hoping that will come.
She called the moment “embarrassing” but added that she wanted to share the story in order “to urge people in the public eye to set an example and treat all people with respect.”
TMZ reported that the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department has launched a criminal investigation into the incident, and Page Six confirmed that Spears filed a police report for battery after the alleged slap.
On Thursday, Wembanyama, 19, addressed the news with reporters and said he did not know at the time that Spears was the one involved in the incident and didn’t find out until hours later.
“When I got back to the hotel, I didn’t forget about this, but I thought it was no big deal. And then [I was told] this was Britney Spears. At first, I was like, ‘No, you’re joking!’ But yeah, it turns out it was Britney Spears.
“I never saw her face.”
The highly touted French prospect is set to make his San Antonio debut in the NBA Summer League on Friday night against Brandon Miller and the Charlotte Hornets.
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