The slap heard around the NBA Summer League won’t come with any legal consequences.
On Friday, the Las Vegas Police Department said no charges will be filed against Spurs head of security Damian Smith, who reportedly hit Britney Spears as she sought a photo with top 2023 NBA Draft pick Victor Wembanyama on Wednesday night.
“The LVMPD has concluded its investigation of the alleged battery that occurred on July 5, 2023, at 11 p.m., in the 3700 block of Las Vegas Boulevard,” officials stated on Friday. “No charges will be filed against the person involved.”
The two sides offered differing viewpoints on the incident, with Spears calling for a public apology from the French rookie — who claimed he was “grabbed from behind.”
Spears, 41, allegedly tried to get the 7-foot-4 Wembanyama’s attention by tapping him on the shoulder at Catch restaurant in the ARIA Hotel in Vegas and was shoved, falling to the ground.
“You understand how it is when you’re being swarmed by fans,” Smith reportedly told the singer.
Wembanyama is slated to make his NBA Summer League debut on Friday night. NBAE via Getty ImagesLVPD met with Spears on Thursday morning as part of a criminal investigation into the incident.
Wembanayma was asked about the incident ahead of his NBA Summer League debut on Friday night, and was in disbelief when he found out it was Spears.
“When I got back to the hotel, I didn’t forget about this, but I thought it was no big deal,” he told reporters on Thursday. “And then [I was told] this was Britney Spears. At first, I was like, ‘No, you’re joking!’ But yeah, it turns out it was Britney Spears.
Spears refuted Wembanyama’s claim that she ‘grabbed him from behind.’ britneyspears/Instagram“I never saw her face.”
Spears, in a statement posted on her Instagram Story, refuted some of the 19-year-old’s version of the incident.
“I am aware of the players statement where he mentions ‘I grabbed him from behind’ but I simply tapped him on the shoulder,” she wrote. “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.
Britney Spears posted her version of events on her Instagram Story on Thursday night. @britneyspears/Instagram“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.”
