When TMZ first reported that new Sacramento Kings coach Luke Walton was being accused of sexual assault by a former Spectrum Sportsnet reporter, it was said that the incident happened around May of 2017. Back then, Walton was already entering his second year as coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.
However, additional reports have now come out, saying that the incident between Luke Walton and his accuser, reporter Kelli Tennant, happened around 2014 when he was still an assistant coach with the Golden State Warriors.
Can confirm Kelli Tenant filed a lawsuit accusing former Lakers coach, current Kings coach, Luke Walton of sexually assaulting her while he was an assistant with the Warriors. The Kings declined to comment saying only that they're aware of the report and are gathering information
— Tania Ganguli (@taniaganguli) April 23, 2019
In addition, a Lakers source said the team had no knowledge of the sexual allegations against Walton when he was still with the franchise.
A Lakers source says that the allegations against Luke Walton, which were said to have happened before the Lakers hired him, were never reported to the Lakers, and consequently had no bearing on Walton's job status.
— Tania Ganguli (@taniaganguli) April 23, 2019
Walton spent three seasons with the Lakers before getting fired a couple of weeks ago. He was immediately hired by the Kings.
Tennant formally filed a lawsuit against Walton on Monday in relation to her claim that the young coach sexually assaulted her when they were together at the Casa Del Mar Hotel in Santa Monica. No date was given for the alleged assault, but the suit says it happened after the publication of a book written by Tennant, for which Walton wrote a foreword. The book was published in 2014.
Tennant said in the suit that Walton was like a mentor to her, so she decided to give him a copy of her book. Luke invited her to the hotel, where the alleged assaults took place.
Up to this point, Walton hasn't released any statement regarding the matter, but he is expected to do so within the next 24-48 hours.
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