Pop icon Britney Spears and San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama were engulfed in a bad situation Wednesday night in Las Vegas.
According to TMZ, which broke the story, Spears sought a photograph with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft. That’s when a member of Wembanyama’s security team backhanded Spears in front of a crowd.
TMZ has since obtained photos of the altercation. According to the outlet, “Vegas police brass” met “face-to-face” with Spears on Thursday morning to discuss the investigation, though no charges have been filed.
Spears, for her part, released a statement on Twitter about the situation on Thursday evening.
“Traumatic experiences are not new to me, and I have had my fair share of them,” Spears wrote.
“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 aware of the player’s statement where he mentions “I grabbed him from behind,” but I simply tapped him on the shoulder. His security then backhanded me in the face without looking back, in front of a crowd. Nearly knocking me down and causing my glasses off my face.”
Spears made the point that she often gets swarmed by fans and yet her security team has never been accused of assaulting a fan.
“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 wrote.
The NBA world was quick to react to Spears’ statement.
Some of the quotes…as a big grown man there is no justification for smacking up a 5 foot 4 lady like be so serious https://t.co/yNcNRDmiL9
— Rossi (@RossiSongo) July 6, 2023
This is all insane but I'm honestly the most shocked that Brit recognized Victor Wembanyama in the first place. A sporty queen!!! Also he's now canceled in my book until an apology is released IDC DON'T COME FOR ME. https://t.co/hqpfutlpDE
— Kennedy Broadwell (@BroadwellK) July 6, 2023
Out of ALL the ppl in the world, Wemby’s security team just had to put their hands on literally one of the most beloved persons on this planet. You might as well have slapped the POPE because mfers will always stand with Britney, she been through too much already😭 https://t.co/6glb8nqZyb
— G. Lerma (@LegendaryLerma) July 6, 2023
Hurting Britney ? https://t.co/1iDAeY3oSn pic.twitter.com/TR1FCmZm6S
— Maria (@tangerin3dreamz) July 6, 2023
The amount of people defending this behavior… There’s absolutely no excuse for security striking anyone as a first reaction – whether it’s a fan or anybody else (especially someone as tiny as Britney, was she really a threat?) https://t.co/iJlxjb2gLX
— Johanna Fuentes (@jfuentes) July 6, 2023
