LOS ANGELES — Former Los Angeles Lakers player and coach Byron Scott is accused in a lawsuit amended earlier this month of sexually assaulting a girl in 1987 when she was 15 and he was 26 during a team event at her high school.
The lawsuit, first filed in December 2022 and amended May 1, alleges sexual battery and false imprisonment. The amended complaint publicly named the former Laker, now 64, for the first time.
According to the complaint, the plaintiff was attending summer classes at Campbell Hall High School in Los Angeles when she was sexually assaulted by Scott in a locked janitor’s closet in the school gymnasium. The Lakers were at the school in LA’s Studio City area to film an instructional basketball video in the gym and meet with students, parents and faculty members, according to the complaint.
At the time, Scott was in his fourth season with the Showtime-era Lakers and had won two of his three NBA championships with the team.
The lawsuit was filed in 2022 under a California law that allowed older cases to be filed for underage plaintiffs. The law required the defendant to remain anonymous until certain thresholds were crossed.
A judge ruled last August that Scott could be identified.
Attorney Linda Bauermeister said in a statement that Scott thought the girl was of legal age at the time.
“Our client is devastated by this complaint, a basketball event that took place in 1987.” Bauermeister said in a statement Wednesday. “Our client believed the plaintiff to be over 18 and had no idea she would claim otherwise until 35 years later. He respects girls and women, and the claims have blindsided him and his family.”
Scott, who spent a decade with the Lakers and won NBA titles with the storied franchise in 1985, 1987 and 1988, led the team in scoring with a career-best 21.7 points in 1987-88.
Scott also played for the Indiana Pacers and then-Vancouver Grizzlies before returning to the Lakers for the 1996-97 season. He coached in the NBA from 1998 to 2016, including a head coaching stint with the Lakers.
He is currently coaching in the Philippines and married to Cece Gutierrez, who has starred on the “Basketball Wives” reality show.
The lawsuit demands a trial by jury and over $25,000 in damages, including loss of earnings and attorney fees to be paid by Scott and the school.
