San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama smiles during the NBA Summer League game between the San Antonio Spurs and Charlotte Hornets, at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 7, 2023. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP)
The member of NBA top draft pick Victor Wembanyama’s security detail who allegedly struck pop star Britney Spears in the face will not be charged, Las Vegas police said Friday.
Wembanyama is in Las Vegas this week ahead of his first game in the NBA Summer League, and was heading to a restaurant Wednesday night when he was spotted by fans — and Spears.
Media reports said that Spears was pushed away by Wembanyama’s entourage, and the singer posted on Instagram that a security guard “backhanded me in the face… Nearly knocking me down and causing my glasses (to fall) off my face.”
Spears’s husband Sam Asghari said the incident was “violent” and “out of control,” posting on social media that his wife had been “hit in the face.”
But the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said Friday that officers had concluded their “investigation of the alleged battery.”
“No charges will be filed against the person involved,” said a statement.
Victor Wembanyama said he believes Britney Spears grabbed him from behind as he was walking into a restaurant at a Las Vegas casino Wednesday, and that the security detail he was with pushed the pop star away. https://t.co/yp0cPGUlhH pic.twitter.com/bjVO800GIt
— AP Sports (@AP_Sports) July 6, 2023
Wembanyama, who made his much-hyped NBA Summer League debut against Charlotte on Friday evening, told reporters he only heard hours later Wednesday that Spears was involved.
“I don’t know with how much force but security pushed her away and I didn’t stop to look so I kept walking and enjoyed a nice dinner,” said the Frenchman.
Spears said she had simply wanted to greet and congratulate the player.