Britney Spears Addresses Getting Slapped by NBA Bodyguard

Britney Spears has released a statement following reports that she was struck by an NBA star's bodyguard in Las Vegas.

Spears dined at Catch restaurant inside the Aria Resort & Casino on Wednesday (July 5). When she approached San Antonio Spurs player Victor Wembanyama to greet him, one of his bodyguards allegedly backhanded the singer.

"I decided to approach him and congratulate him on his success. It was really loud, so I tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention," Spears recalled in a statement shared to Instagram.

"I am aware of the player's statement where he mentions ‘I grabbed him from behind’ but I simply tapped him on the shoulder. His security then backhanded me in the face without looking back, in front of a crowd," she continued, calling the incident "embarrassing" but noting that "traumatic experiences are not new to me."

“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," the pop icon added.

Spears concluded her statement by asking people in the public eye to set a respectful example. She also thanked the Las Vegas Police Department for their help in investigating the incident.

Read her full statement and recount below:

Spears' husband Sam Asghari also released his own statement on social media.

In a series of Instagram Stories, Asghari noted "the defense of any woman, especially my wife, is not debatable."

Asghari wrote that he hopes the NBA player's security detail will learn a lesson and change their "disregard for women." He also called the bodyguard's reaction the "violent behavior of an out-of-control security guard."

Earlier in the day, Wembanyama told reporters that his "security pushed [a woman] away" but that he didn't know at the time who the woman was.

While laughing, he added that he "didn't stop to look so I could walk in and enjoy a nice dinner."