In a now-deleted video posted to pop icon and Louisiana native Britney Spears’ Instagram account Tuesday, she said that “no woman deserves to be hit.”
She was addressing an incident that occurred earlier this month in Las Vegas, Nev.
In another Instagram post, Spears, 41, explained that she recognized an athlete in her hotel lobby and then saw him again in a restaurant at a different hotel and said she tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention, as she wanted to congratulate him on his recent success.
Reports, including one in People Magazine, have identified the athlete as San Antonio Spurs player Victor Wembanyama, 19. According to Spears, a member of Wembanyama’s team back-handed her in the face and knocked her down, all in front of a crowd.
“This story is super embarrassing to share with the world but its out there already,” she said in the post. “However, I think it’s important to share this story and urge people in the public eye to set a example and treat all people with respect.”
Spears has been a household name for more than 20 years, and is one of the world’s best-selling music artists, so she said she is well aware of how security should work. She also won a high-profile case to end a longstanding conservatorship in 2021. New details about Spears’ life are expected to be released in her upcoming book, “The Woman in Me”, this October.
Per a copy of the deleted video shared by Page Six, Spears also specifically addressed a “radio station talking smack” that said that she “deserved to be smacked.”
People Magazine reported that video shared by TMZ corroborates Spears’ story that she tapped Wembanyama on the shoulder. It also said that no charges have been filed related to the incident.
“No woman deserves to be hit,” said Spears, who added that she did get an apology after the incident.
“First I was like ‘No, you’re joking,’” said Wembanyama in an interview cited by People about learning of the incident. “But yeah it turns out it was Britney Spears.”
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