Britney Spears talks about the confrontation she had with basketball star Victor Wembanyama’s security guard after she went up to him to ask for a picture.
In an attempt to protect the Spurs player, Damian Smith, the head of team security, reportedly smacked Spears on Wednesday as she was dining out in Las Vegas, Nevada, with her husband Sam Asghari.
Britney Spears Addresses the Incident
Spears described the interaction in a message she shared on her Instagram stories on Thursday. Spears stated that she saw the athlete at a restaurant after meeting him in the foyer of her hotel earlier in the day, however she avoided mentioning Wembanyama by name. Because it was “really loud” in the restaurant, she stated that she wanted to “congratulate him on his success” and patted the player on the shoulder when she saw him.
“Traumatic experiences are not new to me, and I have had my fair share of them. I was not prepared for what happened to me last night,” Spears wrote. “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.”
In a post-practice interview, Wembanyama addressed the interaction between Spears and his security staff, according to a video statement posted on social media by ESPN reporter Cassidy Hubbarth.
The athlete said he was unaware that Spears had approached him in the restaurant.