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Background

Ben McLemore was drafted into the NBA in 2013. The then-20-year-old signed a multimillion-dollar contract and was expected to be the league’s next great shooter, in a mold similar to Ray Allen.

He never became the star people thought he would, but he still had a respectable career. He played with several teams, and in August 2021, he signed a 1 year, $2.4 million contract to play for the Portland Trail Blazers.

Crime & Arrest

On October 3rd, 2021, some of the Blazers players went bowling before meeting at the Lake Oswego, Oregon, home of player Rob Covington for a gathering.

By the time the party was over, a woman reported that her 21-year-old friend was violated by McLemore when she was drunk, passed out, and unable to consent.

Authorities began investigating immediately, but the investigation stalled, and McLemore went overseas to play ball in 2023 and 2024.

When he was back in the states on April 9th, 2024, he was arrested and charged with rape, unlawful penetration, and two counts of second-degree sexual abuse.

He pleaded not guilty.

Legal Proceedings

At his trial in June 2025, he said that his first encounter with the victim was when she was puking after knocking back 10 shots, and her friends wanted help getting her on the couch.

In part of his testimony posted on KGW News, he claimed that the same couch was where the victim later initiated the sexual encounter with him.

In futher testimony posted on KGW News, McLemore said the woman showed no signs that she was uncomfortable with what was going on.

He also stated that he and the victim had never spoken before, during, or after their encounter, and he left right after they had sex.

According to OregonLive, McLemore’s ex-teammate, Covington, got on the stand and backed his story, saying he saw her touching McLemore, so he left the room.

The victim, on the other hand, testified that she did not consent and even slid off the couch to get away, but that didn’t stop McLemore.

After a 16-day trial, the jury found him not guilty of a count of sexual abuse but convicted him on the other charges.

On July 9th, 2025, he was sentenced to 100 months in prison, and he must also register as a sex offender.