Overview
- A former assistant athletic trainer filed a 42‑page lawsuit this month in Sacramento County accusing the Kings and a senior health director of pregnancy discrimination, sexual harassment, retaliation and wrongful termination.
- The complaint says the senior director of athlete health responded to the trainer’s pregnancy with a profanity‑laced remark and that she was removed from road trips, blocked from treating players and demoted after returning from maternity leave.
- The filing alleges repeated sexualized conduct by a then‑assistant coach who is not named as a defendant, including comments that discouraged the trainer from reporting him to human resources.
- The plaintiff says she raised concerns to multiple executives, attended a mediation that failed to resolve the dispute, and was fired within weeks of complaining to HR while the Kings have issued a categorical denial and say they will vigorously defend the claims.
- Lee’s lawyers note she was one of only about 15 female athletic trainers in the NBA and say her case highlights questions about how teams handle parental leave, pumping space and on‑the‑job infant policies that could affect workplace practices across the league.