Ex-Lakers Coach Luke Walton Accused Of Sexual Assault By Former SportsNet Host

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) - A lawsuit was filed against former Los Angeles Lakers coach, and current Sacramento Kings coach, Luke Walton, claiming he sexually assaulted a former colleague.

Walton has been accused of assaulting a female reporter during his time as an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the lawsuit was filed Monday on behalf of former Spectrum SportsNet host Kelli Tennant, who alleges Walton assaulted her at Hotel Casa del Mar in Santa Monica.

The Time's reported that the suit claimed the alleged attack happened when Tennant went to give Walton a copy of her published book, which Walton wrote a forward for.

Walton allegedly invited Tennant to his room where the suit claims he forced himself on her. She said he continued to grope her after she had screamed for him to stop.

Tennant claimed she did not initially report the misconduct because of her job.

The Lakers issued the following statement Monday night addressing the claims saying, "This alleged incident took place before Luke Walton was the Head Coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. At no time before or during his employment here was this allegation reported to the Lakers. If it had been, we would have immediately commenced an investigation and notified the NBA. Since Luke Walton is now under contract to another team, we will have no further comment."

A spokesperson for the Sacramento Kings told CBSLA, "We are aware of the report and are gathering additional information. We have no further comment at this time."

Walton's attorney, Mark Baute, issued a statement, saying in part: "The accuser is an opportunist, not a victim, and her claim is not credible. We intend to prove this in a courtroom."

Santa Monica police told CBSLA Tuesday that they are not investigating the case at this time because no police report was filed.