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TIMELINE: Luke Walton - Kelli Tennant careers and allegations

One week after the Sacramento Kings introduced Luke Walton as their new head coach, Kelli Tennant filed a lawsuit claiming a 2014 sexual assault.

One week after the Sacramento Kings introduced Luke Walton as their new head coach, he was accused of sexual assault in a civil lawsuit filed on April 22, 2019, by former Spectrum Sportsnet TV reporter Kelli Tennant.  

Tennant alleges that in 2014 Walton forcibly kissed and groped her while pinning her down on a bed at a Santa Monica hotel room during the time when he was an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors.

Tennant has since left Spectrum Sportsnet TV to pursue a career focused on healing and wellness while Walton has moved up the NBA coaching ranks.

Walton's attorney, Mark Baute, has called the allegations "baseless."

"The accuser is an opportunist, not a victim, and her claim is not credible," Baute said in a statement issued Monday. "We intend to prove this in a courtroom."

Here's a timeline of Walton and Tennant's careers and the allegations:

May 2003: Luke Walton, former college basketball player, graduates from the University of Arizona.

June 2003: Los Angeles Lakers select Walton 32nd overall in the NBA draft.

Credit: AP
Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant (24) and Luke Walton talk during Game 1 of the NBA basketball finals Thursday, June 5, 2008, in Boston. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

August 2005: Kelli Tennant begins playing collegiate volleyball at University of Southern California.

2007:  Tennant is sidelined and later retires from collegiate volleyball after being diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. Tennant begins working for TrojanTV, FOX, and  Association of Volleyball Professionals as an on-camera interviewer and analyst.

March 2012: Walton is traded from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

2013: Tennant hired by Spectrum Sportsnet in Los Angeles covering the Lakers and Dodgers.

Summer 2013: Walton retires from playing in the NBA and marries former University of Arizona volleyball player Bre Ladd.

November 2013: Walton is hired as Player Development Coach for the Los Angeles D-Fenders, the G-League affiliate for the Los Angeles Lakers.

July 2014: Walton begins tenure as an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors.

Credit: AP
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, left, sits on the bench next to assistant coaches Luke Walton, center, and Ron Adams during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Houston Rockets in Oakland, Calif., Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2015. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

July 2014: Tennant's book "The Transition" is published. Walton's foreword is included.

Fall - Winter 2014: The period of time Tennant alleges Walton sexually assaulted her in a Santa Monica hotel room. Her lawsuit doesn't state a specific date.

April 2016: Walton named Lakers head coach.

Credit: AP
Los Angeles Lakers' head coach Luke Walton talks to reporters during the team's NBA basketball media day in El Segundo, Calif., Monday, Sept. 26, 2016. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)

May 2017: Tennant alleges Walton made an uncomfortable sexual advance during a charity event in Los Angeles.

Fall 2017: Tennant leaves her job at Spectrum Sportsnet covering the Lakers and Dodgers.

April 2018: Tennant begins in sports reporting working with Amazon Prime's Association of Volleyball Professionals, launches healing and wellness podcast.

April 12, 2019: Los Angeles Lakers and Luke Walton agree to part ways.

Credit: ABC10/KXTV
New Kings head coach Luke Walton (left) and general manager Vlade Divac (right) attend a press conference on Monday at the team's practice facility in Sacramento.

April 15, 2019: Sacramento Kings introduce Luke Walton as new head coach.

April 22, 2019: Tennant files a civil lawsuit alleging sexual assault.

April 23, 2019: Tennant holds a news conference in Los Angeles.

Credit: AP
Former sports reporter Kelli Tennant, center, answers questions from the media as she is joined by her attorneys Garo Mardirossian, left, and David deRubertis during a news conference, Tuesday, April 23, 2019, in Los Angeles. Tennant filed the suit in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Monday, contending new Sacramento Kings NBA basketball coach Luke Walton assaulted her in a hotel room in Santa Monica while he was an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

April 24, 2019: Walton's attorney, Mark D. Baute, responded to Tennant's press conference in a statement released to ABC10 saying, "Yesterday's press conference was a poorly staged attempt to portray the accuser as a viable spokesperson for an important movement."

April 25, 2019: The Sacramento Kings announced that it will launch a joint investigation with the NBA about new head coach Luke Walton's alleged sexual assault of a sports reporter.

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WATCH MORE: Kelli Tennant and her attorney Garo Mardirossian speak to reporters after suing Sacramento Kings head coach Luke Walton for an alleged sexual assault. 

Follow the conversation with Lina Washington on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You can e-mail Lina at LWashington@abc10.com.

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