Former NBA guard Ben McLemore has been sentenced to 100 months — eight years and four months — in Oregon state prison after being found guilty of rape and other charges stemming from a 2021 incident, according to KGW News and ESPN.
McLemore, 32, was convicted last week by a Clackamas County jury on one count of first-degree rape, one count of first-degree unlawful sexual penetration, and one count of second-degree sexual abuse. He was acquitted on an additional second-degree sexual abuse charge.
The charges stem from an October 2021 house party in Lake Oswego, Oregon, hosted at the home of then-Trail Blazers forward Robert Covington. McLemore and the victim were both guests at the party.
Prosecutors told the jury that the victim passed out on a couch after heavy drinking and awoke the next morning to find McLemore sexually assaulting her. She later testified to a grand jury in February 2024, which led to McLemore’s indictment and arrest warrant.
McLemore’s defense team maintained that the encounter was consensual and claimed the woman was sober enough to give consent, arguing that both parties had been drinking but were aware of their actions.
A native of St. Louis, McLemore was the seventh overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. He played nine seasons in the league, appearing in 556 games for the Kings, Grizzlies, Rockets, Lakers, and Trail Blazers. He averaged 9.0 points and 2.3 rebounds per game during his career and has not played in the NBA since the 2021–22 season.
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