Singer Britney Spears and NBA newcomer Victor Wenbanyama on Thursday described an encounter the night before after reports surfaced that one of the basketball player’s security guards punched her outside a Las Vegas restaurant.
in a tweetSpears said she “noticed the athlete” in a hotel lobby on her way to dinner Wednesday night and then ran into him again at another hotel restaurant. Spears said when she approached to praise her athlete’s achievements and tapped her on the shoulder, a member of the security team “slapped her in the face” and knocked her glasses off, nearly collapsing. It is said that it became
Spears did not name Wenbanyama or his team, the San Antonio Spurs, but said he expects an apology from Wenbanyama, his guards and the team. According to TMZ, Spears filed a complaint with police late Wednesday.
The Spurs did not respond to multiple requests for comment from The New York Times. Las Vegas police on Thursday declined to provide details of the incident to The New York Times, saying it could take three to five days to release a record of what happened. “At about 11 p.m., LVMPD officers responded to a 3,700 block property on Las Vegas Boulevard regarding a battery investigation,” a department official confirmed the incident in statements to multiple media outlets, but no arrests or inquiries were made. said it had not been make.
Thursday morning, Wenbanyama provided another version of the event I am having a meeting with a reporter. He said he had “one call” but Spurs security told him not to stop him on his way to the restaurant as it could invite a crowd. . A person later said she “grabbed me from behind her, not her shoulder,” and said she knew the guards had pushed her away.
“The guards pushed her away, I don’t know how much force,” Wenbanyama said, adding that she didn’t know the woman was Spears until hours later. She said, “I didn’t stop and just kept walking and enjoying a nice dinner.”
The 19-year-old Frenchman Wenbanyama, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft, is set to make his debut in the NBA’s Summer League on Friday night in Las Vegas. Over seven feet tall, Wenbanyama is one of the most high-profile NBA prospects in decades, averaging 20 points and more than 10 rebounds per game for the French pro team last season.
Claire Fahey Contributed to the report.
