Former Trail Blazers Player Ben McLemore Found Guilty of Sexual Assault

Former Trail Blazers player Ben McLemore has been found guilty of sexual assault. The conviction comes after an 11-day trial in Clackamas County which included testimony from the victim, a then-21-year-old woman who came to a party at former Blazers player Robert Covington’s house in the fall of 2021, passed out while intoxicated, and woke up to McLemore assaulting her. She was unable to consent to any sexual activity under those circumstances.

More details on the case:

A Clackamas County jury delivered the verdict on Thursday morning, convicting McLemore of first-degree rape, first-degree unlawful sexual penetration, and one count of second-degree sexual abuse. He was acquitted on a second sexual abuse charge.

And on McLemore’s testimony:

McLemore, 32, who had pleaded not guilty to all charges, admitted on the stand that he had been drinking heavily that night, but insisted the encounter was consensual. He told the court there was no conversation between him and the woman before, during, or after the incident and that he left the premises immediately afterward.

McLemore played for the Blazers during the 2021-22 season, his last in the NBA after a nine-year career.

Sentencing is set for next Wednesday, July 9th.