(Los Angeles) Pop star Britney Spears said Thursday she was slapped in Las Vegas by a member of NBA prospect Victor Wembanyama’s security detail, an incident for which she filed a handrail.
On Instagram, the singer explained that she saw the French player on Wednesday evening, currently in Nevada to play his first match with the San Antonio Spurs, at the entrance to a hotel restaurant.
“I decided to approach him and congratulate him on his success. As there was a lot of noise, I tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention, ”she detailed. “His security service then slapped me without looking back.”
The blow “almost knocked me over and ripped my glasses off,” she added.
According to the people site TMZ, which revealed the information, Britney Spears filed a handrail after this incident.
Asked by AFP, the Los Angeles police confirmed that they had opened an investigation on Wednesday evening for “battery and injury”, without specifying the identity of the victim. “No arrests or citations have been issued. No further details will be provided at this time,” she said.
Victor Wembanyama confirmed the incident Thursday after his training, explaining that he only learned after the fact of the singer’s involvement.
“A person calls me: ‘sir, sir! ”, then grabs me by the back, not by the shoulder. I felt that the security had removed this person, but I do not know with what degree of force, ”said the French player.
“I didn’t watch, I just kept walking to get dinner and have a good night out,” he added, adding that San Antonio Spurs security “briefed him” to he does not stop in order to avoid “provoking a crowd”.
“I’m always bombarded by people. […] My security team didn’t hit any of them,” Britney Spears indignantly posted on Instagram, insisting she “just tapped her on the shoulder.”
“Physical violence is too common in this world,” said the American, calling on celebrities “to lead by example and treat everyone with respect.”
“I have not yet received a public apology from the player, his security team or their organization. I hope they do…” she added.
19-year-old Victor Wembanyama is considered the biggest potential in world basketball since LeBron James, and was welcomed as a rockstar in Texas in June.
In recent years, the singer’s personal setbacks and the guardianship exercised by her father, who governed her most intimate decisions for 13 years, until the end of 2021, have made headlines in the press.