Britney Spears has spoken out after NBA star Victor Wembanyama claimed that she grabbed him from behind before his security guard allegedly slapped her in the face.
News broke out on Thursday (June 6) that the 41-year-old singer filed a police report after she was allegedly slapped while out for dinner at Catch restaurant in Las Vegas with her husband Sam Asghari on Wednesday.
The 'Toxic' songstress said she was attempting to approach NBA star Wembanyama to request a photo together and tapped him on the shoulder.
But the situation apparently took an unexpected turn after the Director of Team Security for the San Antonio Spurs - the team that had drafted the 19-year-old just the previous month - reacted immediately.
The 'Baby One More Time' hitmaker accuses the individual named Damian Smith of "slapping" her, causing her to fall to the ground, and in the process, knocking her glasses off.
After the incident, she went back to her table and Smith is said to have approached her to apologize and mentioned the pressures of fan attention, saying: "You understand how it is when you're being swarmed by fans."
The outlet stated that Spears accepted his apology, but that wasn't the end of it as her team made a decision to escalate the matter by lodging a formal complaint with the Metropolitan Police Department, accusing the security guard of battery.
The San Antonio Spurs player addressed the alleged attack at a press conference. He appeared to dismiss the pop icon's version of events, arguing that she tried to grab him from behind which compelled his security into action.
"I don't know with how much force, though. But security pushed her away. I didn't stop to look so I could walk in and enjoy the nice dinner," he continued.
The Spurs' rookie then added that he was unaware who the woman who approached him was until hours later, saying: "At first I was like, 'No, you're joking,' But, yeah, it turns out it was Britney Spears."
Upon seeing his comments, Spears decided to share her story in detail. The 'Stronger' singer posted a statement on her Twitter and Instagram, and began by saying 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".
She explained that she "recognized" Wembanyama in her hotel lobby as she was heading to dinner and later "saw him again" at a different hotel so she wanted to "approach him and congratulate him on his success".
"It was really loud so I tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention," she continued, noting that she was "aware" of the NBA player's statement where he mentions that she "grabbed him from behind" and said: "I simply tapped him on the shoulder."
"His security then backhanded me in the face without looking back, in front of a crowd. Nearly knocking me down and causing my glasses off my face," she went on.
The Grammy-winning songstress added that she's used to being swarmed by fans all the time and that during the same night of the incident she had been "swarmed by a group of at least 20 fans" but her security team "didn't hit any of them".
She then described the situation as "super embarrassing" but said it was "important to share… and to urge people in the public eye to set an example and treat all people with respect".
"Physical violence is happening too much in this world. Often behind closed doors. I stand with all the victims and my heart goes out to all of you!!! I have yet to get a public apology from the player, his security, or their organization. I hope they will," she penned.
Spears concluded her statement by expressing gratitude to fans for the "tremendous amount of love and support," as well as thanking the Las Vegas Police Department.
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