Britney Spears 'hit herself' in confrontation with NBA star Victor Wembanyama's security, police say
Britney Spears inadvertently hit herself in the face after a security guard stopped her from tapping NBA newcomer Victor Wembanyama on the shoulder, police said.
Las Vegas police said on Friday they would not be pressing any charges after Spears raised a complaint with them alleging a member of Wembanyama's security "backhanded" her.
The force released CCTV footage of a security guard raising an arm to block Spears from tapping the San Antonio Spurs rookie on the shoulder.
The footage then appears to show Spears blocked arm then falling back down and hitting herself in the face.
Yesterday Spears claimed that she had “tapped” Wembanyama on the shoulder to get his attention before being “backhanded” in the face by a security guard.Spears said in posts on social media that the run-in was “super embarrassing".
The star also denied grabbing the basketball player, saying she only “tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention”.
Spears said she had recognised the player earlier in the evening and when seeing the No. 1 pick in this year's NBA draft she had “decided to approach him and congratulate him on his success.”
“His security then backhanded me in the face without looking back, in front of a crowd. Nearly knocking me down and causing my glasses (to fly) off my face,” she said.
The 7ft 4in tall NBA star said he believes Spears grabbed him from behind as he was walking into a restaurant at a Las Vegas casino, and that the security detail he was with pushed the pop star away.
Wembanyama said he wasn't told that Spears was the person who grabbed him until hours later, and that he never actually saw her.
'I thought it was no big deal, and then security told me it was Britney Spears'
Wembanyama said security advised him to not stop for anyone as he walked into the restaurant, mindful that pausing could cause a stir and allow a crowd to build.
“Something did happen, a little bit, when I was walking with some security from the team to some restaurant,” he said.
“We were in the hall. There was a lot of people, so people were calling 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.
“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."
The NBA star added that he didn't see "how much force" the security used and that he "didn't stop" as he wanted to "walk in and enjoy a nice dinner".
Spears said in her social media posts that she gets swarmed by people all the time, including that same night, but her “security team didn’t hit any of them”.
US media outlet TMZ first reported details of the event that took place on Wednesday night.
TMZ said Spears was in a group of four trying to enter a restaurant for dinner and that she “was swarmed by fans as she entered the casino".
“I didn’t know for a couple hours, but when I came back to the hotel ... I thought it was no big deal, and then security of the Spurs told me it was Britney Spears,” Wembanyama said.
"At first, I was like, ‘You’re joking,’ but yeah, it turns out it was (her)... I never saw her face. I just kept walking straight.”
Wembanyama will make his NBA Summer League debut with the Spurs on Friday night in Las Vegas against the Charlotte Hornets.
He signed some autographs for fans at the Aria on Wednesday night and did the same for a small number of onlookers as he entered a local high school for practice with the Spurs on Thursday morning.
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