Former NBA player Ben McLemore gets 8-year sentence in prison for 2021 rape case

Former National Basketball Association (NBA) player Ben McLemore was sentenced to more than eight years in an Oregon state prison on Thursday, July 10 (Philippine Standard Time), after being found guilty of raping a 21-year-old woman at a house party in Lake Oswego in 2021.

The conviction stemmed from a sexual assault report filed on October 3, 2021. The incident occurred at the home of Robert Covington, McLemore’s teammate at the time, while both were playing for the Portland Trail Blazers.

During the trial, the unnamed woman testified that she did not consent to the sexual encounter and had been incapacitated due to alcohol, ultimately passing out on a couch. McLemore, 32, claimed the sex was consensual and that the woman initiated the encounter. His legal team argued that she was not as intoxicated as she claimed and had the capacity to give consent.

BREAKING: Ben McLemore will be sentenced to 8 years in prison for rape and sexual assault, h/t @esidery

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— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) July 9, 2025

“At the time of the assault, I had no idea who Mr. McLemore was,” the woman told a media outlet. “And when I found out, I will admit there was hesitation. I questioned whether I should really move forward and report what had happened, especially given his status. But I couldn’t let it go. No one is above the law, no matter who they are or what position they hold.”

She continued, “This has been the longest four years of my life. I never imagined that reporting this back in 2021 would lead to such an incredibly difficult and long journey. These last few years have often felt like a weight that I have had to drag behind me—a constant reminder of the trauma that I haven’t been able to fully work through because there was no ending in sight. I now understand, on a deep level, why so many victims hesitate or never report what happened to them.”

McLemore was selected seventh overall by the Sacramento Kings in the 2013 NBA Draft. Over a nine-year NBA career, he also played for the Memphis Grizzlies, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, and Portland Trail Blazers. He last appeared in the NBA during the 2021–22 season and has since played overseas in China, Greece, Spain, and Turkey.

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