San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wambanyama said Thursday he believes Britney Spears grabbed him from behind as he was walking into a restaurant at a Las Vegas casino and the pop star was escorted away by security. pushed.
Vembanyama said that he was not told until a few hours later that Spears was the man who had captured him.
Spears filed a police report claiming she was struck by a security guard while trying to get Vembanyama’s attention, according to tmzwhich first gave the alleged details of the incident which took place on Wednesday night near a restaurant at the ARIA Hotel and Casino.
TMZ said that Spears looked at Vembanayama and patted her on the shoulder in an attempt to get her attention for a photo, and her face was bruised and her glasses were broken.
Spears addressed the incident in an Instagram Story on Thursday afternoon, saying, “It was extremely embarrassing to share this with the world but it’s out now.”
She disputed Vembanyama’s statement that he grabbed her, saying that he simply “patted her on the shoulder” and that her security “snapped me in the face from behind, in front of the crowd, without looking back. Almost knocking me down”. Dropped and took my glasses off my face.”
“I have yet to receive a public apology from the player, his security, or their organization,” Spears wrote. “I hope they will…”
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department released a statement to the Los Angeles Times adding that officers responded to a “battery investigation” at that address without specifying any individual names. The statement further added that “no arrests or citations have been issued” and that “no further details will be provided at this time.”
Vembanyama said that security advised him not to wait for anyone when entering the restaurant, noting that stopping could cause a stir and lead to a crowd.
“Something happened, a little bit, when I was on my way to a restaurant with some security men from the team,” Vembanyama said. “We were in the hall. There were a lot of people there, so obviously people were calling me. There was one person who was calling me, but we talked before security.”
He said, “I could not stop. The man was calling me ‘Sir, Sir’ and the man grabbed me from behind.” “I didn’t see what happened because I was walking straight and didn’t stop. The guy grabbed me from behind – not my shoulder, he grabbed me from behind. All I know is that security pushed him away. I I don’t know with how much force, but security pushed him away. I didn’t stop to look so I could go inside and enjoy a nice dinner.”
Vembanyama said he was not aware that the situation had made headlines until Thursday.
Vembanayama said, “I didn’t know for a couple of hours, but when I got back to the hotel … I thought it was no big deal, and then Spears’ security told me it was Britney Spears.” “At first, I said, ‘You’ve got to be kidding,’ but yeah, it turned out it was Britney Spears. I never saw her face. I just kept walking straight.”
Spears said she is “surrounded by people all the time”, including Wednesday night, but her security team “didn’t kill any of them.” He urged them to “set an example before the public and treat all people with respect”.
Wembanayama will make his NBA Summer League debut with the Spurs against the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night in Las Vegas. He signed a few autographs for fans at the ARIA on Wednesday night and did the same for a small number of onlookers on Thursday morning when he entered a local high school for a practice with the Spurs.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.