Britney Spears calls for public apology after incident with NBA's Victor Wembanyama

Earlier today, we reported on an incident that happened last night in Las Vegas, when singer Britney Spears was reportedly struck by security staff for San Antonio Spurs player Victor Wembanyama when Spears approached the NBA star to say hello. Now, the singer has issued a statement about the incident, throwing some shade at over-zealous security personnel for their treatment of her.

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Spears released the statement on Twitter, writing that,

Traumatic experiences are not new to me and I have had my fair share of them. I was not prepared for what happened to me last night. I recognized an athlete in my hotel lobby as I was heading to dinner. 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. I am aware of the player statement where he mentions “I grabbed him from behind” but I simply tapped him on the shoulder. His security then back-handed me in the face without looking back, in front of a crowd. Nearly knocked me down and causing my glasses [sic] off my face.

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I get swarmed by people all the time. In fact, that night, I was swarmed by a group of at least 20 fans. My security team didn’t hit any of them.

Spears went on in her statement, thanking Las Vegas police for their courtesy. (She filed a police report about the incident.) She also called on Wembanyama—who was the first overall pick at this year’s NBA draft—or his team to issue a public apology of some kind, writing that, “I have yet to get a public apology from the player, his security, or their organization. I hope they will…”

Per Variety, Wembanyama addressed the incident in an interview earlier today, saying Spears “grabbed” him and that he’d been told by security not to stop. “I just know the security pushed her away,” he said, adding that he was only told the person in question had been Spears several hours later.