Justin Bieber was spotted with a mystery woman and friends in Miami on Thursday.
The group, accompanied by the singer’s bodyguards, were pictured at the Tony Bal Harbor Shops outdoor mall in Miami Beach, before watching Miami Heat clinch their second consecutive NBA title against the San Antonio Spurs in the Game 7 finals .
As yet it’s unclear if the woman is Bieber’s friend or a new romantic interest, or whether she is a friend of someone else in the group.
From pictures , the unidentified woman looks older than the 19-year-old star, but it’s impossible to read any clear body language about the nature of their relationship, if in fact one exists.
During the much anticipated Miami Heat-Spurs face-off, held at the city’s American Airlines Arena, Bieber posted excited Intstagram videos as he and his crew partied in a luxury suite.
At a key moment in the game, as LeBron James took a shot at a critical basket, the game-loving teen star can be heard saying: “Yo, will LeBron make this shot, Game 7. Will he make, will he make it? And…”
James made it. In fact, the Heat went on to a 95-88 victory against the Spurs. The team celebrated at Club Story, but the Moët Ice Impérial, Dom Perignon Luminous drenched throwdown took place without Bieber.
According to E! News , the Canadian had asked beforehand to join the festivities in the event that Miami Heat won, but due to his age his request was denied by the club management.
Still, at least, Bieber’s rejection wasn’t captured on film like his fellow Canadian, Drake. The rapper, who was also in Miami for the game, was turned away from the Heat’s locker room by security who told him only media were allowed access.
To which, Drake responded, “I am media,” with a laugh . While it was a bold response, it didn’t get the “Started from the Bottom” star inside. However, he was admitted to the Heat’s afterparty, where he joined the team, producer Timbaland who was on decks duty, and the rest of the guests.
Meanwhile, Bieber was spotted chatting happily to fans outside his Miami hotel after the game so perhaps he didn’t mind missing out on victory bash too much.
The “Baby” singer uploaded an Instagram video of the encounter. At the beginning of the clip, the pop star says to the camera:
“So, I just met these lovely ladies here outside my hotel. They’ve been waiting outside for me like the lovely fans that you are,” Bieber said, before asking the three girls what they were excited for.
Cue a response from the girls chorusing, “Heartbreaker,” which is the name of Bieber’s upcoming, new single previously announced in the first week of June.
There was no sign of the mystery woman during the singer’s meet with the fans.
Earlier that Thursday, the Biebs set off speculation about whether he was under the influence of marijuana when he became one of the first celebrities to use Instagram’s new video feature.
Giggling intermittently throughout the 15 second clip, the pop star’s speech was slightly slurred as he said to the camera, “Crazy news, there’s video on Instagram.”
Naturally, the video went viral. Some fans commented on Twitter and at Bieber’s Instagram page, that the singer looked “stoned,” while others disagreed and said he was just “happy.”
The day after the game Bieber took a private jet from Miami to Burbank. Reportedly delayed for reasons which are too inexplicable to repeat, the singer uploaded an Instagram video of part of his trip explaining that there was “too much traffic” to travel by car.
That same Friday, Radar Online claimed Bieber’s manager Scooter Braun was “desperate” for his protege to attend rehab. Citing alleged partying, pot use and drinking, the tabloid outlet quoted a source as saying:
“Justin is hanging out with the wrong people,” the source purportedly added .”It’s been one incident after another with him and Braun has always been very supportive and still is.”
Shortly after Radar’s ‘exclusive’ went to press, Braun addressed the rehab rumor with a dismissive statement posted to his Twitter account. It read:
Rumors are just that… Rumors. See everyone at the @justinbieber show tomorrow in San Diego. #BelieveTour
— Scooter Braun (@scooterbraun) June 21, 2013
Recently cleared from an alleged hit and run of a paparazzo in a Los Angeles police investigation, Bieber returns to his Believe world tour at San Diego’s Valley View Casino Center Saturday. Extra dates in Latin America, Asia, New Zealand and Australia have been announced and details of pre-sale tickets can be found here .