Ross Siler of the Los Angeles Daily News reports:

Instead of talking about the playoffs, Walton tried to pull his personal life out of the tabloids. Somehow the dots were connected from Spears attending two recent Lakers games to a relationship between the pop princess/rehab queen and Walton.

``The rumors aren't true,'' Walton said. ``I'm sure Britney is a great person. I don't even know her. I have a girlfriend right now. I'm in a relationship. I'm very happy with my relationship. I don't know where it's all started, but none of it is true.''

Walton is dating Bre Ladd, a former volleyball player at the University of Arizona, who happened to be sitting five seats down from Spears at one of the games she attended.

That wasn't mentioned when ``Entertainment Tonight'' ran with the story earlier this week. Walton said his girlfriend was amused at first but has grown irritated. For his part, Walton's been hearing from friends who haven't called in years.

``If I was living in Milwaukee, this wouldn't have happened,'' Walton said. ``It's definitely an L.A. thing.''

If Walton was living in Milwaukee, he also wouldn't be taking work from starving actors, playing alongside Kobe Bryant, or making the playoffs.