‘The truth came out in court’: Ex-Blazer gets 8-year sentence in rape case

Four years after being raped by Trailblazer Ben McLemore, the lady claimed she waited for her case to go to trial before deciding whether to pursue legal action against a professional athlete.

The 25-year-old woman told Clackamas County Circuit Judge Michael Wetzel on Wednesday that she felt like she had carried this burden with her for so long.

She claimed to have a better understanding of why victims of sexual assault frequently choose not to disclose their experiences.

The woman added, appearing remotely by video, “I didn’t know who Mr. McLemore was at the time of the assault.” I’ll admit that I hesitated when I learned. Considering his rank, I wondered if I should actually go ahead and report what had transpired.

But she had to say something.

“I knew that Mr. McLemore could still hurt someone else, regardless of his fame or how much he loved and respected his family,” she added. He treated me as though I didn’t exist or mattered. He believed that by lying and manipulating the truth, he could avoid it, but the truth was revealed in court.

During the trial, she testified that McLemore took advantage of her incapacity during a house party that Robert Covington, another Trail Blazer, threw. She vomited in the bathroom of Covington’s Lake Oswego house after drinking excessively in the hours prior to the attack. She was assisted by McLemore to the couch, where she passed out intermittently.

According to her testimony, she woke up to McLemore sexually abusing her. She said that she didn’t speak during the attack. She claimed that she briefly allowed her body to slide off the couch before McLemore pushed her back to the couch and carried on.

She claimed that he left right away following the incident, and McLemore corroborated this in his own evidence.

McLemore stated in his testimony that the woman made sexual advances toward him and that he also drank excessively. Although they didn’t talk much during the party, he said that he had sex with her.

On Wednesday, the woman testified in court that she never flirted with him and that their only interaction was a name exchange.

The woman went to college in Washington and resided in Vancouver at the time. She currently works for a cosmetics company and resides in Texas. Typically, victims of sexual assault are not identified by The Oregonian/OregonLive.

McLemore, 32, was found guilty on one count of first-degree rape, first-degree unlawful sexual penetration, and second-degree sexual abuse by a jury last week.

Wetzel used Oregon’s Measure 11 mandatory minimum rule for serious offenses to sentence the former NBA player to eight years and three months in prison.

Scott Healy, the first assistant district attorney for Clackamas County, described the mandatory term and said that the defendant will fulfill all of it because good behavior does not qualify for a reduction in such a sentence.

The victim is content with the sentencing, Healy informed the court.

McLemore, who wore sharp suits to every day of his 11-day trial, was arrested almost away following the conviction. On Wednesday, he appeared before the judge wearing heavy chains around his waist and ankles, black-and-white scrubs provided by the jail, and a T-shirt underneath. Clackamas Co. Jail was written in faded red lettering on the scrubs.

McLemore’s attorneys, Kristen Winemiller and Lisa Maxfield, informed the judge that their client overcame extreme poverty—that is, a lack of resources and social power—to accomplish something that was genuinely, truly remarkable.

She claimed that throughout the proceedings, McLemore maintained his composure and humility.

She stated that although the half hour we are discussing on the morning of October 3, 2021, was undoubtedly the worst half hour of his life, it shouldn’t eclipse all else he has accomplished.

She claimed that the events of that morning at Covington’s residence were significantly influenced by alcohol.

She also mentioned McLemore’s perspective on the victim.

She answered, “He wishes her no harm at all.” He has taken no action whatsoever to try to promote her name or do anything that would lead to her being harmed by others.

Although McLemore did not speak in court, he made a long statement following the hearing in which he blamed his poor judgment on excessive alcohol use.

He claimed that despite the fact that we were strangers, drinking was a major issue for us both that evening. Full stop: if I had been sane, this would not have happened. I accept responsibility for that.

For as long as I can remember, he referred to basketball as my lifeline. It allowed a young person from St. Louis to travel the world and build a life that was beyond my wildest dreams.

He expressed gratitude to his supporters.

He said, “I believe in the power of grace and redemption, even in this dark moment.” I will work every day to earn my second opportunity because I believe in them.

McLemore is no longer with the NBA after spending one season with the Blazers in 2021–2022. Professionally, he has performed in China, Europe, and most recently, Turkey.

Covington testified throughout the trial, claiming to have thrown a kickback party for his teammates that evening. He defined it as a place to spend private time together away from prying eyes.

As the two sat on a couch in his house, Covington told jurors he witnessed a woman attempting to rouse McLemore. Then, he says, he walked out of the room.

Prior to joining the Blazers as teammates, Covington and McLemore played together with the Houston Rockets.

In 2022, Covington left the Blazers. He spent 11 years in the NBA, playing for the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Clippers. Since the 2023–24 season, he has not played.

The judge consented to taking the chains off of McLemore’s wrists and waist during the sentencing process. A Clackamas County sheriff’s officer put them back on McLemore and escorted him via the side door as the hearing came to an end, leaving the courtroom still.

Criminal justice is the area of expertise for enterprise reporter Noelle Crombie. You can contact her at ncrombie@oregonian.com or 503-276-7184.

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