Former NBA Player Ben McLemore Sentenced to Over Eight Years for 2021 Rape

Former Portland Trail Blazer Ben McLemore has been sentenced to more than eight years in prison after being found guilty of raping a woman in Lake Oswego, Oregon, in 2021.

On July 9, Clackamas County Presiding Judge Michael C. Wetzel handed down a 100-month sentence after a jury convicted the 32-year-old former NBA player of Rape in the First Degree, Unlawful Sexual Penetration in the First Degree, and Sexual Abuse in the Second Degree. The verdict was delivered by a Clackamas County jury on July 3.

The incident occurred on October 3, 2021, at the home of McLemore’s then-teammate, Robert Covington. According to court testimony, the 21-year-old victim was heavily intoxicated and unconscious when McLemore assaulted her. Prosecutors detailed that McLemore initiated sexual contact while the woman was partially conscious and unable to consent.

In a statement to the court, the victim described the nearly four-year ordeal as “the longest, almost four years of my life,” emphasizing the lasting trauma and uncertainty she endured since reporting the incident in 2021.

McLemore’s attorneys argued that the sexual encounter was consensual. After sentencing, McLemore expressed regret in a statement released by his lawyers, acknowledging, “I know people are hurting, and I want to acknowledge the weight of what has happened.

My heart goes out to everyone who has been impacted… I take responsibility for that. It would be an understatement to say that my thought processes and judgment were impaired.”

Drafted by the Sacramento Kings in 2013, McLemore played for several NBA teams, including the Memphis Grizzlies, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, and most recently, the Trail Blazers in the 2021–22 season. He has also played professionally overseas.