Kings coach Luke Walton sued for alleged sexual assault, report says

Kings coach Luke Walton is being sued for an alleged sexual assault, according to a report from TMZ Sports.

The former Lakers coach allegedly made unwanted advances toward sports reporter Kelli Tennant while he was an assistant with the Warriors, according to the TMZ report and the Los Angeles Times.

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

The TMZ report states that Walton met Tennant at a hotel in Santa Monica, California to discuss a book Tennant was writing. Tennant reportedly wanted Walton to write the book's foreword and the conversation was moved to Walton's hotel room, where the incident occurred.

The allegations were never reported to the Lakers, the team said in a statement Monday.

“This alleged incident took place before Luke Walton was the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers," the team's statement said. "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."

The Lakers and Walton agreed to mutually part ways in mid-April after the team finished 2018-19 with a 37-45 record and missed the playoffs. Sacramento then hired Walton one day later.

The Kings released a statement addressing the matter.

The Kings have issued a statement regarding sexual assault allegations against their new coach, Luke Walton, as reported by TMZ. "We are aware of the report and are gathering additional information. We have no further comment at this time."

— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) April 23, 2019

"We are aware of the report and are gathering additional information," the statement read. "We have no further comment at this time."