The Sacramento Kings are facing a lawsuit from former assistant athletic trainer Crystal Lee, who alleges the organization discriminated against her during and after her pregnancy, retaliated against her after she raised concerns and ultimately wrongfully terminated her employment.
Lee, who worked within the Kings’ health and performance staff from 2022 until 2025, filed the lawsuit in California Superior Court earlier this month. The complaint names the Kings and senior director of athlete health Jaspreet Randhawa and includes allegations of pregnancy discrimination, sexual harassment, retaliation and wrongful termination.
According to the lawsuit, Lee says her responsibilities began changing while she was pregnant in 2023. She alleges that Sacramento stopped assigning her to road games during her second trimester and later changed her role from assistant athletic trainer to health and performance administrator/assistant athletic trainer. The Kings’ own 2023-24 and 2024-25 media materials listed Lee under that combined title.
Lee further alleges that after returning from maternity leave, she repeatedly sought to resume the full athletic-training responsibilities she had previously held but remained off the road and was eventually prevented from treating Kings players. In September 2024, according to the complaint, assistant athletic trainer was removed from her title altogether.
The lawsuit also contains allegations regarding comments and conduct in the workplace. Lee claims Randhawa reacted negatively when she informed him of her pregnancy and later made disparaging remarks about having children. She also alleges other inappropriate interactions during her time with the organization.
The dispute eventually reached senior levels of the franchise. Lee alleges that in spring 2025 she raised concerns that becoming a mother had resulted in her being excluded from athletic-training duties. According to the complaint, she later took those concerns to Sacramento’s human-resources department. She was dismissed the following month, with the organization citing a failure to meet performance expectations, according to the lawsuit. Lee is seeking unspecified damages.
Sacramento has strongly denied the allegations. Attorney Alexis Gabrielson, speaking on behalf of the Kings, said the franchise rejects Lee’s characterization of its workplace and intends to defend itself through the legal process. The organization also said it takes discrimination and harassment allegations seriously and is committed to providing employees with a respectful workplace.
Lee’s attorney, Robert King, told ESPN that attempts had previously been made to resolve the dispute, including mediation, but those efforts were unsuccessful.
