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Report: Kings coach Luke Walton sued for sexual assault

A female sports reporter has accused new Sacramento Kings coach Luke Walton of sexual assault in a lawsuit.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — 9:00 p.m. update:

The Los Angeles Lakers released a statement 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."

The Golden State Warriors released a statement saying: "We became aware of the alleged incident and story this evening and are in the process of seeking more information. We’ll have no further comment at this time."

Original article:

A female sports reporter has accused new Sacramento Kings coach Luke Walton of sexual assault in a lawsuit.

TMZ reported Monday night, citing legal documents, that Kelli Tennant is suing Walton. TMZ reports that Tennant claims she went to Walton's hotel room to discuss a book she was writing when Walton pinned her to the bed, forcibly kissed her and groped her. The alleged incident happened before Walton became coach of the Los Angeles Lakers in 2016 and while Tennant worked for Sportsnet LA.

No date was given for the alleged assault.

The Los Angeles Times reports that Tennant's lawyer declined to say whether she reported the alleged assault to police.

Walton was let go by the Lakers earlier this month and hired by the Kings.

The Lakers say they were never told of the allegations when Walton was their coach and have no additional comment because he now works for another team.

The Kings say they are aware of the report and gathering additional information. The team had no other comment.

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WATCH ALSO: New Kings coach Luke Walton talks to ABC10 about his desire to come to Sacramento.

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