Ben McLemore is Found Guilty of Sexual Assault
An Oregon jury issued a guilty verdict against former NBA guard Ben McLemore on Thursday. The player was found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman in 2021, while playing for the Portland Trail Blazers. After approximately ten hours of deliberation, following an eleven-day trial in Clackamas County, the jury determined that McLemore, 32, who hasn’t played in the NBA since 2022, is guilty of one count of first-degree rape, one count of first-degree unlawful sexual penetration, and one count of second-degree sexual abuse. The jury found McLemore not guilty of an additional charge of second-degree sexual abuse. McLemore had pleaded not guilty to all charges. The sentence is scheduled for Wednesday, July 9 at 9:30 a.m. PT.The charges stem from a report of sexual assault that occurred in Lake Oswego, Oregon, on October 3, 2021. Police initiated an investigation 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 claimed to have been assaulted by McLemore, and issued an indictment against McLemore, as well as an arrest warrant, according to Lake Oswego police. U.S. marshals arrested McLemore two months later. Clackamas County District Attorney Scott Healy told the jury that the victim had been drinking excessively, passed out on the living room couch around 2 a.m., and then regained partial consciousness the next morning, at which point McLemore sexually penetrated her with his fingers and then began to have intercourse with her. McLemore’s lawyers refuted the victim’s version and claimed that she initiated sexual contact and consented. They also claimed that the woman was sober enough to consent, even though both she and McLemore were intoxicated. McLemore was the seventh pick of the 2013 draft, coming from Kansas, and played for five teams during nine seasons in the NBA. After playing for the Trail Blazers, McLemore began playing abroad for professional teams in China, Greece, and Spain.We recognize that there are those who fear that people with celebrity status or a prominent position may avoid prosecution. Not in Clackamas County. This case demonstrates that my office prosecutes criminal acts regardless of the offender’s community status.
John Wentworth, Clackamas County District Attorney
