An Oregon jury found former NBA guard Ben McLemore guilty Thursday of raping a woman in 2021 while he was playing for the Portland Trail Blazers.
After deliberations that lasted about 10 hours following an 11-day trial, the jury in Clackamas County found the 32-year-old McLemore, who hasn’t played in the NBA since 2022, guilty on one charge of first-degree rape, one charge of first-degree unlawful sexual penetration and one count of second-degree sexual abuse.
The jury found him not guilty on an additional count of second-degree sexual abuse. McLemore had pled not guilty to all four counts.
His sentencing is scheduled for Wednesday, July 9 at 9:30 a.m. PT.
“We recognize there are those who fear individuals with celebrity status or a position of prominence can avoid prosecution. Not in Clackamas County. This case demonstrates my office prosecutes criminal acts regardless of the offender’s community status,” Clackamas County District Attorney John Wentworth said in a statement.
The charges stem from a report of sexual assault in Lake Oswego, Oregon, on Oct. 3, 2021. Police began investigating, and McLemore was identified as a suspect.
In February 2024, a Clackamas County grand jury heard evidence in the case, including testimony from the woman who said McLemore assaulted her, and issued an indictment against McLemore as well as an arrest warrant, according to police from Lake Oswego.
U.S. Marshals arrested McLemore two months later.
A representative for McLemore didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Clackamas County prosecutor Scott Healy told jurors that the victim had been drinking heavily, passed out on a living room couch around 2 a.m., then regained partial consciousness the next morning when McLemore sexually penetrated her with his fingers and then began having sex with her.
McLemore’s attorneys disputed the victim’s account and claimed she initiated sexual contact and consented to it. They also asserted that the woman was sober enough to consent even though both she and McLemore were intoxicated.
McLemore was the seventh pick in the 2013 draft out of Kansas and played for five teams across nine NBA seasons. After playing for the Trail Blazers, McLemore began playing overseas for professional teams in China, Greece and Spain.
