Former Sacramento Kings guard Ben McLemore was sentenced to more than eight years in Oregon state prison Wednesday after a jury found him guilty of rape and sexual assault.
A Clackamas County judge sentenced McLemore to 100 months a week after he was convicted of first-degree rape, first-degree unlawful sexual penetration and second-degree sexual abuse.
The charges stemmed from a drunken sexual encounter between McLemore and a 21-year-old woman during a 2021 party at the Lake Oswego home of former Portland Trail Blazers teammate Robert Covington. McLemore pleaded not guilty to all charges, claiming the encounter was consensual. Prosecutors said the victim was fading in and out of consciousness and unable to provide consent when McLemore assaulted her.
“Many people are often afraid to report this type of conduct for a number of reasons,” Clackamas County First Assistant District Attorney Scott Healy said in a statement. “Hopefully the victim’s strength and courage in this case will give others the fortitude to come forward in circumstances where sexual assault has occurred. The sentence the defendant received today should serve as a reminder that this type of conduct will not be tolerated in our community, and that the Clackamas County DA’s Office will always work hard to hold offenders accountable and provide justice to victims.”
McLemore, 32, was a first-team All-Big 12 Conference selection and a second-team All-American at Kansas in 2012-13. The Kings selected him with the seventh overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft.
McLemore averaged 9.0 points and 2.3 rebounds over nine seasons NBA seasons with the Kings, Memphis Grizzlies, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers and Blazers. He played professionally in China, Greece, Spain and Turkey after leaving the NBA in 2022.