"I was scared:' Coach Luke Walton accuser explains why she's coming forward

The woman suing NBA coach Luke Walton says he laughed at her pleas during an alleged sexual assault. 

Former sports reporter Kelli Tennant, flanked by her attorneys on Tuesday, calmly recounted an incident from 2014, when Walton was a Warriors assistant coach and traveling with the team. 

"I thought he was going to rape me," said Tennant, describing herself as a longtime friend of Walton and his wife at the time. 

"I'm no longer comfortable staying silent," she added, "this type of behavior cannot be condoned and no woman should ever feel like a victim."

Tennant says she looked up to Walton and a mentor and friend, especially after they worked together in broadcasting before he went to the Warriors. 

He wrote the forward to a book she authored, so she brought a copy as a gift, to the Santa Monica hotel where he and the team, were staying.  

 "I got out and handed him the book and he was so excited to see me," recalled Tennant, of how she expected they would catch up in the lobby, but he suggested going to his room.  

"I was hesitant about it but he said 'don't worry about it, it's me,'",Tennant claimed.

Out of nowhere, she alleged, he pinned her to the bed, holding her arms down while he kissed and groped her, and laughed at her pleas to stop. 

Tennant says Walton grabbed her again, when she tried to get to the door to leave. 

"He held my arms down so I could not move and started kissing my neck again," said Tennant, "and I kept begging him to please let go and please stop, and he continued to laugh in my ear." 

A statement from the Warriors organization, says that it was unaware of the alleged incident until now and is seeking more information. A similar statement has come from the Sacramento Kings, which just hired Walton as head coach, upon his exit from the Los Angeles Lakers.  

"They're losing one of the best human beings in the NBA," said Warriors coach Steve Kerr, when Walton's departure from LA was announced. 

But now, asked if had a comment on Walton and the lawsuit? 

"I do not," said Kerr firmly, as the team prepares for a pivotal Game 5 against the Clippers Wednesday. 

"I'm here to talk about the playoffs," responded Klay Thompson, asked about Walton after Tuesday's practice. 

Only Stephen Curry offered words of support: 

"In terms of Luke, known him for a long time, so hope everything works out," said Curry. 

Luke Walton's attorney calls the allegations "baseless" and Tennant "an opportunist not a victim." 

He says her lack of credibiility will be shown in court. 

Tennant says fear kept her silent for several years.

"I was scared, when someone assaults you and you think you are going to be raped, coming forward is a scary thing," she explained. 

She says she also felt she had "nowhere to turn."

"Trying to forget about it, hoping I could push it to the side and bury it, and that was not the case," said Tennant. 

Tennant no longer works in sports broadcasting, and has launched a podcast offering women advice on healing and self-improvement. 

But while covering the Lakers, during Walton's tenure as the coach, she says she could not avoid social interactions, and he continued to make her feel unsafe and uncomfortable.  

"At one event, he looked me up and down slowly and started making noises, saying 'you're killing me in that dress,'"  said Tennant, "and every feeling I had from the first experience, disgusted and betrayed, came back." 

Tennant's attorney says they do not want Walton jailed, and do not have an amount of money in mind, but want Tennant "to feel better about herself." 

Tennant added she wants Walton to learn a lesson, not to ever force himself on a woman again. 

"If sharing my story helps one woman feel heard or a little more safe, like she can say something, then it's always worth it," said Tennant. 

Walton's new position with the Kings is unchanged, as the team and the NBA investigate the allegations.