July 04, (THEWILL) — Former NBA guard, Ben McLemore, has been found guilty of raping and sexually assaulting a 21-year-old woman after a party in 2021. A Clackamas County jury in Oregon convicted the 32-year-old on charges of first-degree rape, first-degree unlawful sexual penetration, and second-degree sexual abuse. The incident occurred while McLemore was playing for the Portland Trail Blazers during the 2021/2022 NBA season.
The victim had attended a party at the Lake Oswego home of then-Trail Blazers forward, Robert Covington, on October 3, 2021. Prosecutors told jurors that the woman, who had been drinking heavily, passed out on a living room couch around 2 a.m. She regained partial consciousness at about 6 a.m. to find McLemore assaulting her. The victim later underwent a forensic sexual assault examination the same day.
The Prosecutor, Scott Healy, described the victim’s condition at the time of the assault as “hammered unconscious drunk”, stating she was barely able to walk or lift her head. Witnesses supported this characterisation, noting she had vomited and was slurring her speech. During her testimony, the woman told the court, “You cannot do that to somebody and just be able to get away with it. I do not care who you are.”
McLemore’s defence attorneys, Lisa Maxfield and Kris Winemiller, argued that the encounter was consensual and that both parties had been intoxicated. They claimed the woman had initiated sexual contact and was sober enough to provide consent.
The Clackamas County District Attorney, John Wentworth, said the conviction sent a message that public status does not shield anyone from justice. “Not in Clackamas County,” he said. McLemore, who was the seventh overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, will be sentenced on July 9. He last played professionally during the 2021/2022 season.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
