A video of the incident outside Catch restaurant at the Aria Hotel Wednesday night, where pop star Britney Spears was allegedly slapped by NBA star Victor Wembanyama’s security member supports her version of events.
The initial account of the incident, as reported, was that Spears spotted Wembanyama at the restaurant and went over to him to ask if they could take a photo together as she was a fan. She tapped the player on his back, and that is when Damian Smith, the Director of Team Security for the San Antonio Spurs instantly backhanded her. The force of the slap caused her to fall to the ground, knocking her glasses off. Following the incident, a criminal investigation was launched against Smith but has now been closed. No charges will be filed against him.
Also Read | Britney Spears accuses Victor Wembanyama of laughing after his security member allegedly slapped her
Wembanyama told ESPN reporters his version of the events on Thursday. “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,” he continued. “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.”
Spears also took to Instagram to write an extensive post about her version of the events after Wembanyama broke his silence. She disputed his statement that she grabbed him from behind. Instead, she said that he tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention.
A video recently obtained by TMZ shows exactly how the incident unfolded. It shows the singer approaching the NBA star outside Catch restaurant in Vegas screaming in a British accent, “Sir, Sir!” Then, just like she has described in her social media post, she appeared to tap Wembanyama on his left shoulder.
Smith then slaps her hand. At this point, either his hand struck her face or he made contact with her own hand. There is not much clarity on his point. The impact of the security member slapping her hand might have caused her hand to hit her face. Either way, the slap could be heard in the video.
However, as reported initially, Spears did not fall. Her glasses did appear to fly off her face. She was then heard yelling “That’s America for you. F*** you all!”
