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CBS News
2 days ago
- CBS News
Ex-NBA player Ben McLemore found guilty of rape by Oregon jury
Former NBA player Ben McLemore has been found guilty of raping a 21-year-old woman during a lake house party attended by many of his then-teammates from the Portland Trail Blazers, a jury ruled Thursday. The jury in Clackamas County, located directly south of Portland, found McLemore, 32, guilty of rape, unlawful sexual penetration and one count of sexual abuse. He was found not guilty on another count of sexual abuse, Portland television station KGW reported. Sentencing was scheduled for Wednesday. "We recognize there are those who fear individuals with celebrity status or a position of prominence can avoid prosecution. Not in Clackamas County. This case demonstrates my office prosecutes criminal acts regardless of the offender's community status," District Attorney John Wentworth said in a statement. Former Portland Trail Blazer Ben McLremore, who was convicted July 3, 2025, of raping a woman, is pictured in a courtroom in Oregon City, Oregon, on June 17, 2025. Beth Nakamura, Oregonian via AP The charges stemmed from a party on Oct. 3, 2021, at the Lake Oswego home owned by his Trail Blazers teammate Robert Covington. Prosecutors claimed during the trial that the sexual encounter was rape, while McLemore's attorney countered it was consensual sex. The woman said she was incapacitated after a night of heavy drinking and was unable to give consent. Prosecutors submitted photos of the woman hovering over a toilet and then passed out on a couch, The Oregonian/Oregon Live earlier reported. She said she woke up at one point during the rape and froze in terror. "I don't know who this person is," she testified. "This is a random person that is doing something like this to me." The Associated Press generally does not identify victims of sexual assault. At one point, she said she let her body slide to the floor in an effort to stop the assault. The woman testified McLemore pulled her back onto the couch and continued. Covington earlier testified he saw the woman flirting with McLemore while they sat on a couch. McLemore testified he was also drinking but claimed the sex was consensual. He also said he and the woman did not have a conversation before, during or after the act, after which he immediately left the home. One of his attorneys, Kris Winemiller, said McLemore left after receiving an angry message from this then-wife, who tracked him and wanted to know why he wasn't in their own Lake Oswego home. Clackamas County prosecutor Scott Healy said there was no confusion. "When you look at all the surrounding circumstances and you assess the evidence in this case, I submit to you that the defendant is guilty," he said during closing arguments Tuesday. Another defense attorney, Lisa Maxfield, argued for McLemore's acquittal. "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," she said. The woman said she did not hire an attorney to sue McLemore and didn't seek money from him. Instead she pursued the criminal case because "you can't do that to somebody, let alone somebody that you don't know." McLemore, who played college at Kansas, was the seventh overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft by the Sacramento Kings. He also played for Memphis, Houston and the Los Angeles Lakers before his last NBA season with Portland in 2021-2022. Since then, he has played in Europe and China. Last August he signed with a team in Turkey.
New York Times
2 days ago
- New York Times
Former NBA guard Ben McLemore convicted of rape, sexual assault stemming from party in 2021
Former NBA guard Ben McLemore was found guilty Thursday of raping and sexually assaulting a 21-year-old woman after a lake house party in 2021 while he was playing for the Portland Trail Blazers. McLemore, 32, was convicted of first-degree rape, first-degree unlawful sexual penetration and second degree sexual abuse by a jury in Clackamas County, Oregon, according to a Clackamas County press release. Advertisement 'We recognize there are those who fear individuals with celebrity status or a position of prominence can avoid prosecution,' District Attorney John Wentworth said via a statement. 'Not in Clackamas County. This case demonstrates my office prosecutes criminal acts regardless of the offender's community status.' McLemore will be sentenced July 9. The sexual assault occurred Oct. 3, 2021, after a party at then-teammate Robert Covington's house in Lake Oswego. The victim had been drinking heavily and was 'hammered unconscious drunk' that night, prosecutor Scott Healy told jurors. It was the most alcohol the woman ever had to drink in her life and the most intoxicated she had ever been, Healy said. The victim vomited earlier that evening, and witnesses said she had difficulty walking, slurred speech and could barely lift her head, Healy said. The victim passed out on a large living room couch around 2 a.m. Later, McLemore began sleeping on the same couch. At around 6 a.m., the victim regained partial consciousness when McLemore sexually penetrated her with his fingers, then began having sexual intercourse with her. The victim was 'fading in and out' of consciousness, frightened and traumatized, Healy said. Later that day, she sought a specialized medical examination for victims of sexual assault. '(The defendant) needs to be held accountable for what he did,' the victim said during her trial testimony. 'You can't do that to somebody, let alone somebody that you don't know either. You don't do that to people and just be able to get away with it. I don't care who you are.' McLemore's attorneys, Lisa Maxfield and Kris Winemiller of Pacific Northwest Law, LLP, couldn't be reached for comment by The Athletic at the time of publication. McLemore's attorneys disputed the victim's account of events, claiming she initiated sexual contact and consented to it. His attorneys asserted that although the victim and McLemore were intoxicated at the time of the encounter, the victim was sober enough to consent. The seventh pick in the 2013 NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings, McLemore played for the Memphis Grizzlies, Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers before his last season with the Trail Blazers in 2021-22.
CNN
2 days ago
- CNN
Oregon jury convicts former NBA player Ben McLemore of raping incapacitated woman at team party
Former NBA player Ben McLemore has been found guilty of raping a 21-year-old woman during a lake house party attended by many of his then-teammates from the Portland Trail Blazers, a jury ruled Thursday. The jury in Clackamas County, located directly south of Portland, found McLemore, 32, guilty of rape, unlawful sexual penetration and one count of sexual abuse. He was found not guilty on another count of sexual abuse, Portland television station KGW reported. Sentencing was scheduled for Wednesday. 'We recognize there are those who fear individuals with celebrity status or a position of prominence can avoid prosecution. Not in Clackamas County. This case demonstrates my office prosecutes criminal acts regardless of the offender's community status,' District Attorney John Wentworth said in a statement. The charges stemmed from a party Oct. 3, 2021, at the Lake Oswego home owned by his Trail Blazers teammate Robert Covington. Prosecutors claimed during the trial that the sexual encounter was rape, while McLemore's attorney countered it was consensual sex. The woman said she was incapacitated after a night of heavy drinking and was unable to give consent. Prosecutors submitted photos of the woman hovering over a toilet and then passed out on a couch, The Oregonian/Oregon Live earlier reported. She said she woke up at one point during the rape and froze in terror. 'I don't know who this person is,' she testified. 'This is a random person that is doing something like this to me.' The Associated Press generally does not identify victims of sexual assault. At one point, she said she let her body slide to the floor in an effort to stop the assault. The woman testified McLemore pulled her back onto the couch and continued. Covington earlier testified he saw the woman flirting with McLemore while they sat on a couch. McLemore testified he was also drinking but claimed the sex was consensual. He also said he and the woman did not have a conversation before, during or after the act, after which he immediately left the home. One of his attorneys, Kris Winemiller, said McLemore left after receiving an angry message from this then-wife, who tracked him and wanted to know why he wasn't in their own Lake Oswego home. Clackamas County prosecutor Scott Healy said there was no confusion. 'When you look at all the surrounding circumstances and you assess the evidence in this case, I submit to you that the defendant is guilty,' he said during closing arguments Tuesday. Another defense attorney, Lisa Maxfield, argued for McLemore's acquittal. '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,' she said. The woman said she did not hire an attorney to sue McLemore and didn't seek money from him. Instead she pursued the criminal case because 'you can't do that to somebody, let alone somebody that you don't know.' McLemore, who played college at Kansas, was the seventh pick in the 2013 NBA draft by the Sacramento Kings. He also played for Memphis, Houston and the Los Angeles Lakers before his last NBA season with Portland in 2021-2022. Since then, he has played in Europe and China. Last August he signed with a team in Turkey.
National Post
2 days ago
- National Post
Oregon jury convicts ex-NBA player McLemore of raping woman at team party
OREGON CITY, Ore. — Former NBA player Ben McLemore has been found guilty of raping a 21-year-old woman during a lake house party attended by many of his then-teammates from the Portland Trail Blazers, a jury ruled Thursday. Article content The jury in Clackamas County, south of Portland, found McLemore, 32, guilty of rape, unlawful sexual penetration and one count of sexual abuse. He was found not guilty on another count of sexual abuse, Portland television station KGW reported. Article content Article content Article content Sentencing was scheduled for Wednesday. Article content 'We recognize there are those who fear individuals with celebrity status or a position of prominence can avoid prosecution. Not in Clackamas County. This case demonstrates my office prosecutes criminal acts regardless of the offender's community status,' District Attorney John Wentworth said in a statement. Article content The charges stemmed from a party Oct. 3, 2021, at the Lake Oswego home owned by his Trail Blazers teammate Robert Covington. Article content Prosecutors claimed during the trial that the sexual encounter was rape, while McLemore's attorney countered it was consensual sex. Article content The woman said she was incapacitated after a night of heavy drinking and was unable to give consent. Prosecutors submitted photos of the woman hovering over a toilet and then passed out on a couch, The Oregonian/Oregon Live earlier reported. Article content She said she woke up at one point during the rape and froze in terror. Article content Article content 'I don't know who this person is,' she testified. 'This is a random person that is doing something like this to me.' The Associated Press generally does not identify victims of sexual assault. Article content At one point, she said she let her body slide to the floor in an effort to stop the assault. The woman testified McLemore pulled her back onto the couch and continued. Article content McLemore testified he was also drinking but claimed the sex was consensual. He also said he and the woman did not have a conversation before, during or after the act, after which he immediately left the home. Article content Article content One of his attorneys, Kris Winemiller, said McLemore left after receiving an angry message from his then-wife, who tracked him and wanted to know why he wasn't in their own Lake Oswego home. Article content Clackamas County prosecutor Scott Healy said there was no confusion. 'When you look at all the surrounding circumstances and you assess the evidence in this case, I submit to you that the defendant is guilty,' he said during closing arguments Tuesday.
CNN
2 days ago
- CNN
Oregon jury convicts former NBA player Ben McLemore of raping incapacitated woman at team party
Former NBA player Ben McLemore has been found guilty of raping a 21-year-old woman during a lake house party attended by many of his then-teammates from the Portland Trail Blazers, a jury ruled Thursday. The jury in Clackamas County, located directly south of Portland, found McLemore, 32, guilty of rape, unlawful sexual penetration and one count of sexual abuse. He was found not guilty on another count of sexual abuse, Portland television station KGW reported. Sentencing was scheduled for Wednesday. 'We recognize there are those who fear individuals with celebrity status or a position of prominence can avoid prosecution. Not in Clackamas County. This case demonstrates my office prosecutes criminal acts regardless of the offender's community status,' District Attorney John Wentworth said in a statement. The charges stemmed from a party Oct. 3, 2021, at the Lake Oswego home owned by his Trail Blazers teammate Robert Covington. Prosecutors claimed during the trial that the sexual encounter was rape, while McLemore's attorney countered it was consensual sex. The woman said she was incapacitated after a night of heavy drinking and was unable to give consent. Prosecutors submitted photos of the woman hovering over a toilet and then passed out on a couch, The Oregonian/Oregon Live earlier reported. She said she woke up at one point during the rape and froze in terror. 'I don't know who this person is,' she testified. 'This is a random person that is doing something like this to me.' The Associated Press generally does not identify victims of sexual assault. At one point, she said she let her body slide to the floor in an effort to stop the assault. The woman testified McLemore pulled her back onto the couch and continued. Covington earlier testified he saw the woman flirting with McLemore while they sat on a couch. McLemore testified he was also drinking but claimed the sex was consensual. He also said he and the woman did not have a conversation before, during or after the act, after which he immediately left the home. One of his attorneys, Kris Winemiller, said McLemore left after receiving an angry message from this then-wife, who tracked him and wanted to know why he wasn't in their own Lake Oswego home. Clackamas County prosecutor Scott Healy said there was no confusion. 'When you look at all the surrounding circumstances and you assess the evidence in this case, I submit to you that the defendant is guilty,' he said during closing arguments Tuesday. Another defense attorney, Lisa Maxfield, argued for McLemore's acquittal. '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,' she said. The woman said she did not hire an attorney to sue McLemore and didn't seek money from him. Instead she pursued the criminal case because 'you can't do that to somebody, let alone somebody that you don't know.' McLemore, who played college at Kansas, was the seventh pick in the 2013 NBA draft by the Sacramento Kings. He also played for Memphis, Houston and the Los Angeles Lakers before his last NBA season with Portland in 2021-2022. Since then, he has played in Europe and China. Last August he signed with a team in Turkey.
