Victor Wembanyama to be low-key after Britney Spears incident

New Antonio Spurs rookie glad incident is over; will focus on career and ‘disappear from the media.’

Original story by Michael Lee Simpson for People Magazine

Victor Wembanyama, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft, has decided to keep a low profile after his controversial encounter with pop star Britney Spears in Las Vegas last week.

The entertainer, in a TMZ-shared video, appeared to have been slapped by Wembanyama’s security detail after the former approached the basketball player and tapped his back for reasons unknown.

A police report that PEOPLE Magazine gained claims that after reviewing video surveillance, Wembanyama’s security guard pushed Britney’s hand with enough force to keep it away from Wembanyama, causing the former’s sunglasses to fall off. Spears claims that she was ‘nearly knocked down’ from the strike.

The 19-year old spoke immediately after the incident to reporters.

“I saw the news obviously,” he said in a video shared by KENS reporter Nate Ryan on Twitter. “I woke up to a couple of calls. Something did happen a little bit when I was walking with some security of the team to some restaurant. We were in a hall and there were a lot of people so people were calling me.”

After a busy month, which started with the 19-year-old rookie drafted by the San Antonio Spurs at the end of June and his NBA debut during Summer League games over the weekend, Wembanyama told reporters on Monday that he wants to focus on his basketball career and avoid any distractions from the media.

“In the past month, I think basketball wasn’t even 50% of my schedule. I can’t stand it. I know it’s a special moment in my life, but I’m glad it’s over. I just wanna hoop,” Wembanyama said in a report by Sports Illustrated.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department told PEOPLE in a statement that the organization “has concluded its investigation of the alleged battery,” and that “no charges will be filed against the person involved.”

Read the entire report by People Magazine here