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Former Los Angeles Lakers head coach Luke Walton is being sued for sexual assault by a former Spectrum Sportsnet broadcaster, according to TMZ, which obtained a copy of the lawsuit.
The lawsuit alleges that the incident happened before Walton was hired as Lakers head coach, although TMZ did not put the specific time into their report. In a statement, the Lakers said they were not made aware of the allegations at any point before or during Walton’s tenure with the team.
“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 team wrote in the statement.
Walton and the Lakers agreed to mutually part ways shortly after the conclusion of their season, and he has since been hired as head coach of the Sacramento Kings.
The Kings released a statement saying they “are aware of the report and are gathering additional information. We have no further comment at this time.”
Through his lawyer, Walton also denied the allegations.
“Luke Walton retained me to defend him against these baseless allegations. The accuser is an opportunist, not a victim, and her claim is not credible. We intend to prove this in a courtroom,” Walton’s attorney, Mark Baute, said in a statement to the media.
This is a sensitive, developing story and we will update as more details become available.