Britney Spears took to Instagram yesterday to address her run-in with top NBA draft pick Victor Wembanyama.
The pop star was allegedly backhanded in the face by his security when she tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention. She says she only wanted to “congratulate him on his success” and tapped his shoulder because it was loud in the restaurant.
She added, “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. 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.”
Wembanyama addressed the encounter in a video statement on social media by ESPN reporter Cassidy Hubbarth.
“There were a lot of people calling me, obviously. One person was calling me but … I couldn’t stop,” Wembanyama said. “That person grabbed me from behind. I didn’t see what happened because I was walking straight, but that person grabbed me from behind, not on my shoulder. I just know that security pushed her away. I don’t know with how much force though … I didn’t stop to look. I kept walking.”
He added: “Turns out it was Britney Spears, but I didn’t know because I never saw her face. I just kept walking straight. “
.@vicw_32 on the situation last night involving Britney Spears pic.twitter.com/I0mHJvJzs4
— Cassidy Hubbarth (@CassidyHubbarth) July 6, 2023
Britney knows all too well about being approached by fans and says Wemby’s security team did not handle it appropriately. She says, “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.”
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(USA Today)
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