Who Is Kelli Tennant? Luke Walton Sued For Sexual Assault By Reporter

Sacramento Kings coach Luke Walton is facing sexual assault accusations from sports reporter Kelli Tennant.

According to a lawsuit obtained by TMZ, Walton sexually assaulted the former Spectrum SportsNet host at a Santa Monica hotel room after he asked her to drop off a book she had published. Though the exact date of the incident was not known, Tennant says the assault took place before Walton was hired as the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers in 2016.

The lawsuit stated that Tennant arrived at the hotel after which Walton convinced her to come over to his room to “catch up.” After she went up to his room, Walton pinned her to the bed and sexually assaulted her. She screamed and tried freeing herself but he held her and continued to grope her. He eventually let her go and when she walked toward the door, he grabbed her from behind. Walton then “forced his body up against hers.” Tennant managed to open the door and escape.

Tennant said she was forced to interact with him because of her job and each time she met him, Walton would give her a big hug and a kiss. In a particular incident in May 2017, Tennant claimed Walton greeted her by saying, "vulgar, guttural sounds at her" and said, "mmmm ... you're killing me in that dress” before giving her an aggressive hug and rubbing his body against hers.

Walton guided the Lakers before he parted ways in April 2019. He was then made head coach of Sacramento Kings.

“We are aware of the report and are gathering additional information. We have no further comment at this time,” the Kings said in a statement, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Tennant was a volleyball player before becoming a reporter. She co-authored a book with Walton titled “The Transition: Every Athlete’s Guide to Life After Sports” in 2014, who she considered a “trusted mentor and colleague.” She worked with several sports networks including ESPN and Fox Sports before becoming a reporter with Spectrum SportsNet. She then quit the network in order to start a career as a wellness coach and podcast host, Heavy.com reported.

She was engaged to UCLA offensive linemen Amir Ekbatani but called it off after his leg was amputated following a motorcycle crash. Tennant has also spoken about suffering from fibromyalgia, a disorder that causes musculoskeletal pain.

Tennant has not made the allegations against Walton public and it is not known if she has filed a police complaint. Her attorney Garo Mardirossian too refused to disclose any information.