Ben McLemore Sentenced to Over 8 Years in Prison for 2021

Former NBA player Ben McLemore has been sentenced to more than eight years in prison following a conviction for rape and sexual abuse tied to a 2021 house party in Oregon. On Wednesday, a Clackamas County judge handed down the 100-month sentence just a week after a jury found McLemore guilty of raping a 21-year-old woman at a party hosted by then-Portland Trail Blazers teammate Robert Covington in Lake Oswego.

According to prosecutors, the woman had consumed enough alcohol to render her unable to consent. McLemore, who also admitted to drinking that night, claimed the encounter was consensual. However, the jury believed the victim’s account and convicted him on charges of rape, unlawful sexual penetration, and one count of sexual abuse. He was acquitted on a separate count of sexual abuse.

Now 32, McLemore will serve his sentence in an Oregon state prison, bringing a dramatic and tragic end to a once-promising basketball career.