Victor Wembanyama’s NBA career is off to a truly bizarre start. Before his Summer League debut, Wembanyama made headlines this week when his security allegedly smacked pop star Britney Spears in the face after the singer approached him at a Las Vegas casino.
According to Spears, she tapped Wembanyama on the shoulder at the ARIA hotel and casino to get his attention for a photo. It was after that that she says she was smacked in the face by security and had her glasses knocked off. She filed a police report after the incident according to TMZ.
Wembanyama’s story differs. He says that Spears grabbed him from behind and that his security pushed her away. At the time, Wembanyama says he didn’t know the person in question was Spears.
“Something did happen, a little bit, when I was walking with some security from the team to some restaurant,” Wembanyama said. “We were in the hall. There was a lot of people, so people were calling [at] me, obviously. There was one person who was calling me, but we talked before with security.
“I couldn’t stop. That person was calling me, ‘Sir, sir,’ and that person grabbed me from behind,” he added. “I didn’t see what happened because I was walking straight and didn’t stop. That person grabbed me from behind — not on my shoulder, she grabbed me from behind. I just know the security pushed her away. I don’t know with how much force, but security pushed her away. I didn’t stop to look so I could walk in and enjoy a nice dinner.”
Spears said she has yet to receive an apology from Wembanyama or his representatives.
“I have yet to get a public apology from the player, his security or their organization,” Spears wrote on Instagram. “I hope they will …”