Victor Wembanyama Breaks Silence on Security Member Slapping Britney Spears

Victor Wembanyama is speaking out on the incident that involved Britney Spears and a member of his security team. While speaking to reporters on Thursday, the 19-year basketball star said that Spears didn’t just tap him on the shoulder before a security guard put his hand on her on Wednesday. Wembanyama revealed that the 41-year-old singer and dancer “grabbed me from behind” which then led to the security guard reportedly slapping her. 

The incident happened at Catch restaurant at the ARIA Hotel in Las Vegas. Wembanyama said that there were a lot of people in the hallway near the restaurant calling for him. He was told not to stop, but one woman, who happened to be Spears, kept asking for him before running up to him and putting her arms around him. 

“I didn’t see what happened, because I was walking straight and we were told, ‘Don’t stop,’” Wembanyama said, per TMZ Sports. “But that person grabbed me from behind — not on my shoulder, she grabbed me from behind — and so I just know the security pushed her away. I don’t know with how much force, though. But security pushed her away. I didn’t stop to look so I could walk in and enjoy the nice dinner.”

Wembanyama went on to say that he didn’t realize the woman was Spears until “a couple hours later” since he never saw her face. “At first I was like, ‘No, you’re joking,’” he said. “But, yeah, it turns out it was Britney Spears.” TMZ said that Spears filed a police report after being slapped. She was with her husband Sam Asghari who spoke out on the incident on Instagram.

“The violent behavior of an out-of-control security guard should not cast a shadow on the accomplishment of a great young man on the rise [Wembanyama],” he said. “The blame should fall on the coward who did this, the people who hired him without proper vetting, and a systemic culture of disregard for women within sports and entertainment.”  

Asghari continued: “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, much less hit in the face for tapping someone on the shoulder. The changes needed will have to come from the top, and I look forward to those changes.”