Victor Wembanyama talks Britney Spears incident: âSecurity pushed her awayâ
Victor Wembanyama said Thursday that Britney Spears grabbed him from behind as he was walking into a restaurant at a Las Vegas casino, and that “security pushed her away.”
The San Antonio Spurs rookie said he didn’t know it was Spears who grabbed him until later because he never turned around.
In a meeting with reporters, Wembanyama said security told him to keep walking as his group was being approached by fans to prevent a stir and allow a crowd to build.
Spears, meanwhile, filed a police report saying she was struck by a security guard while trying to get the attention of Wembanyama.
Spears’ representatives did not respond to a request for comment and police officials did not immediately return a message seeking more details.
“Something did happen, a little bit, when I was walking with some security from the team to some restaurant,” Wembanyama said. “We were in the hall. There was a lot of people, so people were calling (at) 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,” Wembanyama said. “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. I don’t know with how much force but security pushed her away. I didn’t stop to look so I could walk in and enjoy a nice dinner.”
TMZ first reported details of the event that took place Wednesday night near a restaurant at the ARIA hotel and casino. 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.” TMZ said she noticed Wembanyama and tapped him on the shoulder in an effort to get his attention; Spears, the site said, wound up being struck in the face and having her glasses knocked off.
“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 Thursday. “At first, I was like, ‘You’re joking,’ but yeah, it turns out it was Britney Spears. I never saw her face. I just kept walking straight.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.