Victor Wembanyama has had quite a bizarre welcome to the spotlight in America. Earlier this week, while entering a Las Vegas restaurant, the newly-drafted French basketball player was spotted by pop star Britney Spears. Spears then approached Wembanyama and his security team to ask for a photo but was quickly thwarted by the NBA player’s guard, leading to battery accusations made by Spears. After a round of he-said-she-said disputes, though, Wembanyama’s run-in with Spears will end with no criminal charges filed.
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On Friday morning (July 7), Las Vegas Metro Police Department concluded its investigation involving the Wednesday night debacle (July 5) and released a statement saying “no charges will be filed against the person involved,” according to the Associated Press. At first, though, it was believed that Damian Smith, the director of team security for Wembanyama’s new American team the San Antonio Spurs, could be pursued for criminal charges.
When Spears walked up behind Wembanyama as they entered Catch restaurant at the ARIA Hotel Wednesday, Smith flung his arm and allegedly hit the singer in the face and caused her glasses to fall to the ground. After filing a police report against Smith, Spears issued a statement via social media recounting her side of the story, demanding an apology from Wembanyama and company.
“I recognized an athlete in my hotel lobby as I was heading to dinner,” Spears wrote. “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… His security then back handed me in the face without looking back, in front of a crowd. Nearly knocking me down and causing my glasses off my face… I have yet to get a public apology from the player, his security or their organization. I hope they will.”
Wembanyama would also issue a statement yesterday, taking time out of his basketball practice a day before his debut game with the Spurs tonight in Las Vegas. In his comment, he claimed that he was not aware his security guard hit anybody and that he did not know the person pursuing him was Spears until hours later.
“That person grabbed me from behind,” he said. “I didn’t see what happened because I was walking straight and they told me ‘Don’t stop.’ But that person grabbed me from behind, grabbed on my shoulder. She grabbed me from behind so I just know that 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 kept walking and enjoyed a nice dinner.”
Simultaneously with the Vegas police announcing no charges would be filed against Smith, TMZ released security footage of the incident, which was taken into account during the investigation. The video shows Spears lightly tapping Wembanyama on the shoulder, followed by Smith motioning his arm backward and inadvertently hitting Spears’s arm, causing it to smack her face. Afterward, Spears shouted, “That’s America for you, fuck you all!!!!”
Watch the video released by TMZ below.
Photo by VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images
