Britney Spears 'slapped in the face' by bodyguard for San Antonio Spurs rookie Wembanyama

Fans of pop superstar Britney Spears are up in arms all over social media after news broke that the singer was slapped in the face by a bodyguard who was part of the entourage of this year's number one NBA draft pick, Victor Wembanyama.

The incident reportedly took place in Las Vegas on Wednesday night, when the two celebrities went out separately to enjoy dinner out in one of the city's hotspots.

Witness claims Britney lost her cool after the bodyguard hit her in the face

A witness named Brian Grajales spoke to Sportskeeda and said that he was also at the Catch restaurant in Las Vegas when the unfortunate incident took place. He said that Spears approached the basketball player and was oddly using a British accent as she was trying to catch Wembanyama's attention.

"Wemby was heading to the Catch when there was a fan, who afterwards we found out was Britney Spears," Granjales told the publication. He said that she was saying "excuse me, sir!" repeatedly as she was chasing him down.

However, the player did not stop and the moment she managed to touch his back, one member of his security detail backhanded her in the face, causing her glasses to fall off. The new San Antonio Spurs player just kept on walking and the singer lost her temper.

According to Granjales, she continued speaking with a British accent while screaming "This is f***ing America!'" The publication also confirms that the Las Vegas police have been called in to investigate the alleged assault and Spears had already given her statement.

Wembanyama catches flak for his reaction

The following day, news about the incident had spread like wildfire. Wemby, as basketball fans like to call the Spurs rookie, was asked about the incident when they caught up with him during his training sessions.

He admitted that he woke up to his phone bursting with people messaging and calling him about what happened. He said that he is aware that there was an incident that happened that night but he did not think that it was a "big deal."

People from around the globe were irked as he kept on referring to the pop princess as "that person" whom he said "grabbed" him from behind.

Wembanyama is in the city to prepare for the NBA Summer League, and he has a tight security detail around him thanks to his popularity after becoming the number one NBA draft pick. He explained that he was not very aware of what was going on behind him because security advised him not to stop when he was out in public to prevent a crowd from forming around him.

"We were in a hall. There was a lot of people. People calling me, obviously. There was one person who was calling me, but we talked before with the security to not stop because it's gonna make a crowd. So, I couldn't stop," he said, explaining why he appeared to be snubbing fans who might have been trying to catch a photo like Spears.

"That person grabbed me from behind...I didn't see what happened [after that] because I was walking straight...not on my shoulder, she grabbed me from behind. I just know that the security pushed her away. I don't know with how much force though. I just kept walking and enjoyed a nice dinner," he said before chuckling.

"I didn't forget about this, but I thought it was no big deal....turns out it was Britney Spears. But I didn't know, because I never saw her face," he said again.

Britney slams Wemby's version of the events

The singer took to Twitter on Thursday to share her side of the story about what happened. According to her, she saw Wembanyama in her Las Vegas hotel lobby earlier in the night. Then, she saw him again at the restaurant and decided to approach him to congratulate him for his recent success.

"It was really loud, so I tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention," she said, denying that she had "grabbed" him. She then said that the bodyguard "back handed me in the face without looking back, in front of a crowd." The impact knocked off her glasses and she almost got knocked over herself.

"I simply tapped him on the shoulder," she wrote before stating that she herself gets swarmed by fans all the time, including that same night. However, her own security detail does not hit people.

"I was swarmed by a group of at least 20 fans. My security team didn't hit any of them," she claimed before saying that the incident was embarrassing and that people in the public eye should treat people with respect and lead by example. She also said that she has yet to receive an apology from the player, the San Antonio Spurs nor the security personnel.

However, a report from TMZ claims that the bodyguard merely shoved Britney's hand away from the player and it was her own hand that hit her face, based on the CCTV footage. The report also claims that the bodyguard did approach Britney's table to apologise and she accepted. However, she still filed a complaint with the Las Vegas Police Department over a battery incident that evening. The investigation into the incident is still ongoing.