Ben McLemore Sentenced to 8+ Years for Rape

Content advisory: This piece includes portrayals of alleged sexual violation.

A legal authority has decreed that former NBA athlete Ben McLemore will be confined to an Oregon state correctional facility for 100 months this Wednesday, subsequent to being declared culpable of violating and sexually attacking a 21-year-old female during his tenure with the Portland Trail Blazers.

McLemore, who has been absent from the NBA scene since 2022, was judged guilty on accusations of first-degree violation, first-degree illicit sexual intrusion, and second-degree sexual mistreatment, although he was declared innocent on a subsequent allegation of second-degree sexual mistreatment. McLemore had entered a plea of innocence for all four accusations.

“A multitude of individuals frequently hesitate to disclose this category of behavior for various rationales,” stated Clackamas County First Assistant District Attorney Scott Healy in a declaration. “It is hoped that the fortitude and bravery exhibited by the victim in this instance will instill in others the resolve to step forward in scenarios where sexual assault has transpired. The verdict rendered to the defendant today ought to function as a signal that this manner of behavior will not be countenanced within our locale, and that the Clackamas County DA’s Office will invariably exert diligent efforts to ensure offenders are held accountable and victims receive justice.”

The pertinent occurrence transpired on Oct. 3, 2021, at a gathering within the abode of McLemore’s then-Blazers teammate Robert Covington. Prosecutors asserted that the victim was “severely intoxicated to the point of unconsciousness,” displaying symptoms such as regurgitation and challenges in ambulation. It was documented that she lapsed into unconsciousness on a living room divan at 2 a.m.

McLemore purportedly commenced reposing on the identical divan and roused the victim at 6 a.m. by penetrating her with his digits, subsequently engaging in sexual intercourse with her. The victim was allegedly still “alternating between periods of consciousness and unconsciousness,” but sought specialized medical attention tailored for sexual assault survivors later that day.

In his justification, McLemore’s judicial representation contended that the interaction was consensual, and that he was, furthermore, even more inebriated than the victim, as per KGW:

Defense attorney Lisa Maxfield posited that McLemore merited exoneration. “The sole justifiable judgment in a scenario where a pair of individuals become inebriated and engage in sexual activity, and the male is more intoxicated than the female, the sole justifiable judgment in such an instance is not guilty,” Maxfield articulated.

McLemore was initially apprehended in April 2024, and pledged that the “truth will surface” shortly following his release on bail.

As the seventh overall pick of the 2013 NBA draft, McLemore participated for the Trail Blazers, Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, and Sacramento Kings over the duration of his nine-year career.

Since 2022, McLemore has competed for squads situated in China, Greece, Spain, and Turkey. He dedicated the preceding season to Yukatel Merkezefendi while awaiting judicial proceedings.