Singer Britney Spears asked for an apology on Thursday after she accused a member of security for a star NBA player of punching her in the face outside a Las Vegas restaurant when she saw the player, Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs, tried to greet.
In a tweet of the encounter, Spears did not name Wembanyama, but in discussing the unnamed player she referred to public comments he had made to reporters hours earlier. Spears, 41, said she saw “an athlete” at two different hotels on Wednesday night and “decided to approach him and congratulate him on his success” at the second, outside a restaurant. Spears said that after she tapped him on the shoulder, a member of his security team “pushed me back in the face”, knocking off her glasses and nearly causing her to fall.
Spears said she was still waiting for an apology from the player, his security and his team. Wembanyama, 19, was the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft last month. He is expected to play in the NBA summer league starting Friday in Las Vegas.
The Spurs did not respond to multiple requests for comment on Thursday. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department did not respond to an email request for comment. A person who answered the phone at the department’s public records said they could not comment on a specific case and it could take three to five days to respond to a record request.
In statements to multiple news outlets, including Variety And PeopleAt about 11 p.m. Wednesday, the Las Vegas Police Department said “agents responded to a property in the 3700 block of Las Vegas Boulevard regarding a battery investigation,” but no arrests or citations had been made. The incident was first reported by TMZ on Thursday morning. An attorney for Spears, Mathew S. Rosengart, said the Las Vegas Police Department was investigating and declined to comment beyond Spears’ statement.
Earlier on Thursday, before Spears’ tweet, Wembanyama offered a different version of events while meeting with reporters in Las Vegas. He said that “someone called me”, but Spurs security had told him not to stop for anyone as this could have invited a mob. He then said that a person “grabbed me from behind, not on my shoulder”.
“I don’t know with how much force, but security pushed her away,” Wembanyama said, adding that he didn’t know the woman was Spears until hours later. “I didn’t stop to look, so I kept walking and enjoyed a nice dinner.”
Spears said she was “unprepared for what happened” and that it was “super embarrassing” to argue in public.
“However, I think it’s important to share this story and urge people in the public eye to set an example and treat all people with respect,” she said.
Standing over 6 feet tall, Wembanyama is one of the most acclaimed NBA prospects of the past few decades. He averaged over 20 points and 10 rebounds per game last season with Metropolitans 92, a French professional team.
Claire Fahy reporting contributed.