Sacramento Kings coach Luke Walton is the subject of a sexual assault suit from a reporter who claims he forced himself on her.
Legal documents obtained by TMZ show that Kelli Tennant, a former reporter for SportsNet LA, accused Walton of assaulting her in a hotel room in May 2017. She said Walton requested a meeting with her at his hotel after she wanted him to write a foreword to a book she was writing.
When she arrived, she said Walton convinced her to come to his room and pinned her to the bed once there, forcibly kissing and groping her. She tried to free herself and told him to stop, and he eventually relented, only to grab her from behind and force his body against hers as she was going to leave.
Tennant added that she did not initially report Walton’s conduct, but in continued interactions on the job, Walton made “vulgar, guttural sounds” at her and aggressively hugged and kissed her, despite her objections.
Walton recently landed with the Kings after being fired as the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.
