Content warning: This article contains depictions of alleged sexual assault.
A judge has sentenced former NBA guard Ben McLemore to 100 months in Oregon state prison on Wednesday, a week after he was found guilty of raping and sexually assaulting a 21-year-old woman during his time with the Portland Trail Blazers.
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McLemore, who has not played in the NBA since 2022, was convicted on charges of first-degree rape, first-degree unlawful sexual penetration and second-degree sexual abuse, though he was found not guilty on a second count of second-degree sexual abuse. McLemore had pled not guilty to all four counts.
“Many people are often afraid to report this type of conduct for a number of reasons,” Clackamas County First Assistant District Attorney Scott Healy said in a statement. “Hopefully the victim’s strength and courage in this case will give others the fortitude to come forward in circumstances where sexual assault has occurred. The sentence the defendant received today should serve as a reminder that this type of conduct will not be tolerated in our community, and that the Clackamas County DA’s Office will always work hard to hold offenders accountable and provide justice to victims.”
The incident in question occurred on Oct. 3, 2021 at a party at the home of McLemore’s then-Blazers teammate Robert Covington. Prosecutors said the victim was “hammered unconscious drunk,” to the point of vomiting and having difficulty walking. She reportedly passed out on a living room couch at 2 a.m.
McLemore allegedly began sleeping on the same couch and woke up the victim at 6 a.m. by penetrating her with his fingers then having sexual intercourse with her. The victim was reportedly still “fading in and out” of consciousness, but sought a specialized medical examination for victims of sexual assault later that day.
Ben McLemore was the seventh overall pick of the 2013 NBA Draft. (Photo by Soobum Im/Getty Images)
(Soobum Im via Getty Images)
In his defense, McLemore’s legal team claimed the encounter was consensual, and that he was also even more drunk than the victim, via KGW:
Defense attorney Lisa Maxfield argued McLemore should be acquitted. “The only reasonable verdict in a case where two people get drunk and have sex and the man is drunker than the woman, the only reasonable verdict in a case like that is not guilty,” said Maxfield.
McLemore was first arrested in April 2024, and promised the “truth will come to light” shortly after being released on bail.
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The seventh overall pick of the 2013 NBA draft, McLemore played for the Trail Blazers, Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings over his nine-year career.
Since 2022, McLemore has played for teams in China, Greece, Spain and Turkey. He spent last season with Yukatel Merkezefendi while awaiting trial.
