Britney Spears Allegedly Smacked in the Face by NBA Security Guard
Pop star Britney Spears reportedly filed a police report after being hit in the face by a security guard for NBA player Victor Wembanyama on Wednesday.
The alleged incident, first reported by TMZ and since confirmed by Spears and Wembanyama, occurred outside Catch restaurant at the ARIA Hotel in Las Vegas.
According to a tweet posted by Spears, she recognized Wembanyama in the hotel lobby before seeing him again while heading into dinner. When she approached him to congratulate his success, his security guard hit her in the face.
“I simply tapped him on the shoulder,” Spears stated. “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.”
Spears added, “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.”
— Britney Spears 🌹🚀 (@britneyspears) July 6, 2023
In an interview on Thursday, Wembanyama spoke about the situation and alleged that Spears grabbed him from behind as he was walking forward.
“But that person grabbed me from behind, not on my shoulder,” Wembanyana stated. “She grabbed me from behind, and so I just know the security pushed her away.”
Wembanyama added that he didn’t know the woman was Spears until “a couple hours later.”
Moments ago,#Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama addresses the incident last night with Britney Spears in Las Vegas: pic.twitter.com/T33s7R4yUl
— Nate Ryan (@nateryansports) July 6, 2023
Spear’s husband, Sam Asghari, was there when the incident occurred and posted a statement to his Instagram story defending his wife.
“I am opposed to violence in any form, especially without justification in the defense of yourself or someone else who is unable to defend themselves,” Asghari stated. “Self-defense can be unavoidable, but the defense of any woman, especially my wife, is not debatable. I consider my reaction subdued considering what occurred, and I hope the man in question learns a lesson and changes his disregard for women.”
Britney Spears’ husband Sam Asghari releases statement after Victor Wembanyama’s security guard assaulted Britney:
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) July 6, 2023
“I can't imagine a scenario where an unarmed female fan showing any kind of excitement or appreciation for a celebrity would cause her to be physically assaulted” pic.twitter.com/UZEliRJBmL
Police also released a statement to Variety on Thursday about the incident, but would not confirm the identities of the parties involved. It read, “On July 5, 2023, at approximately 11 pm, LVMPD officers responded to a property in the 3700 block of Las Vegas Boulevard regarding a battery investigation,” police told Variety. “The incident has been documented on a police report and no arrest or citations have been issued. No further details will be provided at this time.”
Spears also took to Twitter to announce that she has “yet to get a public apology from the player, his security or their organization” but hopes that she will.
