Former Sacramento Kings player found guilty of rape by Oregon jury
Former Sacramento Kings guard Ben McLemore has been found guilty of rape.
A jury in Clackamas County, Oregon on Thursday found McLemore, 32, guilty of first-degree rape, first-degree unlawful sexual penetration, and one count of second-degree sexual abuse. He was acquitted of another charge of sexual abuse, according to online court records. He previously pleaded not guilty.
The conviction stemmed from an incident involving a 21-year-old woman at a house party in Lake Oswego just outside Portland in October 2021, according to law enforcement. McLemore was at the party with Portland Trailblazers teammates at the house of former teammate Robert Covington.
McLemore was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service in April after landing at Portland International Airport with an outstanding felony warrant from his charges after playing basketball overseas. He was found guilty this week after a two-and-a-half week trial where the victim testified she was incapacitated after heavy drinking at the party and unable to provide consent.
McLemore testified in his trial that he had also been drinking but that the sex was consensual. He reportedly told jurors he had no conversation with the victim before, during or after the encounter, according to local news outlets including the Oregonian.
McLemore played his final NBA season with Portland in 2021-22 capping a nine-year career after the Kings drafted him seventh overall in 2013 after playing at Kansas. He played five seasons for Sacramento over two stints, and also spent time with the Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies and Los Angeles Lakers.
His sentencing is scheduled for next Wednesday, Clackamas County Circuit Court records show.
