Victor Wembanyama, Britney Spears detail Las Vegas restaurant incident
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LAS VEGAS — Pop singer Britney Spears said Thursday that she was struck by a San Antonio Spurs security team member when she attempted to approach rookie forward Victor Wembanyama outside a Las Vegas restaurant on Wednesday night. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight The incident, which reportedly prompted Spears to file a police report, came two days before Wembanyama is set to make his highly anticipated Summer League debut against the Charlotte Hornets at UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center on Friday. No charges have been filed in connection to the incident.
“I recognized an athlete [Wembanyama] in my hotel lobby as I was heading to dinner,” Spears wrote in a lengthy statement on Instagram. “I later went to a restaurant at a different hotel and saw him again. I decided to approach him and congratulate him on his success. It was really loud, so I tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention.”
The 19-year-old Wembanyama told reporters Thursday that he was walking in a busy hall and that his security team had instructed him not to stop to talk with any fans because it would “make a crowd” outside Catch, a seafood restaurant at the Aria resort on the Las Vegas Strip.
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“One person [Spears] was calling me,” Wembanyama told reporters at a team practice Thursday. “I couldn’t stop. 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. I just know security pushed her away. I don’t know with how much force.”
Wembanyama, who didn’t realize Spears was the one who approached him until he was told hours later, added that he “enjoyed a nice dinner [and had] a fun night with the guys,” and that he thought the incident was “no big deal.”
Spears disputed Wembanyama’s claim that she attempted to “grab him from behind” and said that the security team member “backhanded me in the face without looking back in front a crowd.” The Grammy-winning singer added that the force of the blow initially knocked her off balance and caused her to lose her glasses.
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“It’s important to share this story and to urge people in the public eye to set an example and treat all people with respect,” said Spears, who noted that she hadn’t yet received an apology from Wembanyama, his security team or the Spurs.
The 7-foot-4 Wembanyama became the first French player to be selected as a No. 1 overall draft pick last month after drawing comparisons to past teenage basketball prodigies like LeBron James and Lew Alcindor. The excitement around his NBA arrival — dubbed “Wembymania” — generated a record television audience for the draft that topped 6 million viewers, and tickets for his Summer League debut sold out days in advance. Prices for a general admission ticket have soared to more than $200 apiece on secondary sites.
Spears, 41, was once a teen sensation herself, as her 1999 debut album “ … Baby One More Time” has sold more than 25 million copies.
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Source: The Washington Post
