The shakeup with the Los Angeles Lakers isn't the only controversy coach Luke Walton is involved in. He's recently moved to the Sacramento Kings, and the ink on his contract hasn't even dried yet before he's been smacked with a lawsuit. According to TMZ, a woman named Kelli Tennant claims that while Walton was an assistant coach with the Golden State Warriors, he forced himself on her while the two were in his hotel room.
Legal documents state that Tennant says Walton asked her to meet up with him at his Santa Monica hotel room so that she could drop off a book she published. The two reportedly had a business relationship and had known each other for years, so she asked him to write the foreword for her book. However, Tennant claims that when she arrived at the hotel, Walton asked her to come up to his room so that they could talk. While there, she says he pinned her down on the bed and placed "his hips and legs over her body."
She also states that Walton forcibly kissed her on her neck, face, and chest as she screamed for him to stop. She tried to flee, but he held allegedly her down, groped her private areas, and rubbed his erection on her. Eventually, he let her get up but when she tried to make her way to the door, he reportedly grabbed her from behind and rubbed himself on her. As she left, Tennant claims he told her, "Good to see you."
She says she didn't initially report the incident because of her job, and when she would run into him he would give her a big hug and a kiss. She says she made it clear that his advances made her uncomfortable. Then, she claims that in 2017 while he was coaching the Lakers, Walton made "vulgar, guttural sounds at her" and said, "mmmm...you're killing me in that dress."
The Kings have issued this statement about Walton's recent lawsuit: "We are aware of the report and are gathering additional information. We have no further comment at this time."