Ex-Trail Blazer Ben McLemore reportedly gets over 8-year prison sentence for 2021 rape conviction

Former Trail Blazer Ben McLemore has been sentenced to over eight years behind bars after a jury found him guilty of raping a woman last week.

The former NBA sportsman, who was charged with assaulting a 21-year-old woman back in 2021 while playing for the Portland team, was sentenced to 100 months in an Oregon state prison on Wednesday.

Yahoo! Sports has reported that McLemore, who has been absent from the NBA since 2022, is guilty of first-degree rape, first-degree unlawful sexual penetration, and second-degree sexual abuse.

However, following a two-and-a-half-week trial, he was acquitted on another count of second-degree sexual abuse. He reportedly pleaded not guilty to all counts as his legal team contended that the encounter was consensual.

The case against Ben McLemore explored:

Clackamas County First Assistant District Attorney Scott Healy has since issued a statement, per the outlet:

"Many people are often afraid to report this type of conduct for a number of reasons," the statement read. "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."

Bleacher Report has reported that the incident in question took place in 2021 at a house party in Robert Covington's home. Covington was Ben McLemore's teammate on the Portland Trail Blazers.

Per the outlet, the woman claimed she couldn't testify, as she was heavily inebriated. However, the athlete contended he was also drunk, but the encounter was consensual. ESPN has reported that in her filing, the victim claimed she was unconscious on the couch when McLemore approached her and forced himself on her.

She was allegedly still "fading in and out" of consciousness during the encounter, though she later underwent a specialized medical examination for those who have suffered sexual assault later that same day. Ben McLemore's defense attorney, Lisa Maxfield, argued, per KGW:

“The only reasonable verdict in a case where two people get drunk and have sex and the man is drunker than the woman, the only reasonable verdict in a case like that is not guilty."

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Ben McLemore, 32, was a first-round pick back in the 2013 NBA Draft. He'd played in college for Kansas and has since had stints under the Sacramento Kings, Memphis Grizzlies, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, and Portland Trail Blazers across nine seasons. His last game in the NBA came during the 2021-22 season, though he has since taken his talents internationally, including to China, Greece, and Spain.

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