Luke Walton wrote the foreword in accuser Kelli Tennant’s book. Here’s what he said.

Five years before Kelli Tennant publicly accused new Sacramento Kings coach Luke Walton of sexual assault, she asked Walton to write the foreword in her book “The Transition: Every Athlete’s Guide to Life After Sports.” A 10-year NBA veteran, Walton met Tennant while she was reporting for Spectrum Sportsnet in Los Angeles.

In a news conference Tuesday to announce her lawsuit filed that same day, Tennant said she had visited Walton at his Santa Monica hotel to deliver a copy of “The Transition” in late 2014. Walton, who was an assistant coach with the Golden State Warriors at the time, allegedly assaulted her in his hotel room. The following is what Walton wrote in that book about personal identity and post-athlete life.

“When Kelli came to me with the idea of a writing a foreword for a book talking about athletes in their Transitions, I was taken aback. First, because I was immediately aware of how important this information is to get across to athletes everywhere, and couldn’t believe this was the first of its kind. Second, I realized that I am one of those athletes right now, in this very moment. It’s funny because we go through this experience, regardless of success, rings and fame, and have such similar stories to tell. We play a sport that dominates our lives, creates opportunities in so many ways, and then one day, it vanishes into thin air. And we are sitting here wondering, why?

“Interestingly enough, I don’t wonder why. I knew it would all end one day. No one plays forever. That’s obvious. But I never actually stopped to think about that reality. It just sat there, in the back of my mind, as I cruised through college, to eventually find my way into the Lakers lineup, and rise to basketball success with two championship rings. I never thought, ‘one day, my aching back is going to end all of this and then I’ll need to figure out another way of life.’

“I remember in college, one of my professors asked me a few times, who are you? My first reaction, ‘I don’t know.’ My second and third reactions, after plenty of time to think and mull over it, still, ‘I don’t know.’ Looking back, I had no idea who I was or what I wanted. Basketball was all that defined me and all that I cared about. The sports psychologist I work with, the revered Dr. Mike Gervais, PhD., always talks about the blinders we have on as athletes. We see nothing but the sport, the win, the loss, and our own egos. The rest, just doesn’t matter.

“Now that I’m working a handful of jobs trying to find out what it is I want, I am realizing the power of understanding who I am, my goals, and what matters to me. The idea of creating opportunities for yourself at a young age is crucial. We all, at some point, have to sit back and be realistic about what our future holds for us. We aren’t all going to make it. Although I was fortunate enough to, I ended up having to end my career early due to injury, which is a very common story. But then what are you left with? During your time as an athlete, you have to make the hard decisions and put in the effort off the court to be kind to everyone you come in contact with, work as hard as possible on your ‘self,’ and become aware of the opportunities you want to create.

“As Kelli and so many of the athletes share in this book, things aren’t going to just happen for you. You have to put in the work, use the things you learned as an athlete, and make that translate into what you’ll do next. I’m right in the middle of The Transition, and no it is not easy. But there is a way. With patience and a hard working, ego-less mentality, you can work your way up to great success and fulfillment somewhere else. Your performance on the court is just one piece of your life. The next step is to fill up the rest of your years with things that matter and that are in line with your goals and values.

“In my eyes, you can use the words on these pages as a strategy to win in your own life. Allow our difficult moments to serve as lessons you can learn and grow from in your own life. And in each word, feel the support we have to offer you. Kelli has created a team with a tight bond so that we can all become hard-working, successful and most importantly happy former athletes.

“One of Kelli’s first questions to me was, ‘Luke, how do you define yourself?’ I’ll ask the same of you. Sit on that for a bit. I hope your answer is further along than mine was.

“– Luke Walton, two-time NBA Champion with the Los Angeles Lakers and former University of Arizona Wildcat”