Former NBA lottery pick found guilty of rape

Former NBA lottery pick Ben McLemore has been found guilty of several charges related to an alleged incident that took place in 2021.

McLemore was found guilty of three charges on Thursday in a courtroom in Clackamas County, Ore., including first-degree rape. The former Sacramento Kings guard was also found guilty of first-degree unlawful sexual penetration and one count of second-degree sexual abuse, according to KGW 8. He was found not guilty on a second count of sexual abuse after pleading not guilty to all four charges.

The charges stemmed from an incident in which McLemore was accused of sexually assaulting a 21-year-old woman at a house party in Lake Oswego, Ore. The home belonged to McLemore’s former teammate Ben Covington, who played with McLemore on the Houston Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers.

The woman testified during the trial that she was drinking heavily at the party and unable to consent to sex. McLemore said he had also been drinking but that the encounter was consensual. The 32-year-old said there was no conversation between him and the victim before, during or after the encounter.

McLemore addressed the allegations last year and expressed confidence that his name would be cleared.

McLemore played in college at Kansas before being drafted seventh overall by the Kings in 2013. He spent the first four seasons of his career with Sacramento and also played for the Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Lakers, Rockets and Blazers. McLemore last played in the NBA in 2022 and has played for several international teams since.

In nine NBA seasons, McLemore played in 556 total games and averaged 9.0 points and 2.3 rebounds per game.