Former NBA player Ben McLemore has been found guilty of raping a 21-year-old woman during a 2021 lake house party in Lake Oswego, Oregon, attended by several of his then-Portland Trail Blazers teammates. A Clackamas County jury delivered the verdict on Thursday.
McLemore, 32, was convicted of rape, unlawful sexual penetration, and one count of sexual abuse. He was acquitted on a second sexual abuse charge. Sentencing is scheduled for Wednesday.
“This case demonstrates my office prosecutes criminal acts regardless of an offender’s community status,” said Clackamas County District Attorney John Wentworth, responding to concerns about celebrity accountability.
The charges stemmed from an October 3, 2021 party at a home owned by teammate Robert Covington. Prosecutors argued the woman, who had been drinking heavily, was incapacitated and unable to consent. She testified that she awoke during the assault, terrified and unable to move.
Photos presented in court showed her passed out and unresponsive during the night. She described trying to stop the assault by sliding off the couch, only for McLemore to pull her back and continue.
McLemore testified that the encounter was consensual and that both had been drinking. He admitted there was no conversation during the encounter and said he left immediately afterward after being contacted by his then-wife, who had tracked his location.
Covington testified that he saw the woman and McLemore flirting earlier in the evening.
In closing arguments, prosecutor Scott Healy urged jurors to consider the full context of the evidence. McLemore’s attorney, Lisa Maxfield, argued that both parties had been drinking and claimed McLemore was even more intoxicated than the woman, insisting the jury should return a not-guilty verdict.
The woman said she never sought money or filed a civil suit, telling the court she pursued justice because “you can’t do that to somebody, let alone someone you don’t even know.”
McLemore was selected 7th overall in the 2013 NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings after starring at the University of Kansas. He later played for the Grizzlies, Rockets, Lakers, and Trail Blazers. Since leaving the NBA, he has played professionally in Europe, China, and most recently signed with a team in Turkey.