Former Kings player Ben McLemore arrested in Oregon on suspicion of rape, authorities say

Former Kings player Ben McLemore was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of rape and other charges after a grand jury in Oregon returned an indictment alleging he sexually assaulted a woman in 2021 while in the NBA.

McLemore, a guard who ended his NBA career in 2022 with the Portland Trail Blazers, had just landed at noon at the Portland International Airport when law enforcement authorities arrived to carry out their arrest, Pete Cajigal, a spokesman for the U.S. Marshals Service, wrote in an email.

The 31-year-old, who now plays professional basketball in Spain, was booked on suspicion of rape, unlawful sexual penetration and two counts of sexual abuse, according to Clackamas County jail logs.

The allegations arise from the city of Lake Oswego, where a woman alleged she was assaulted at a home in the 1200 block of Cherry Lane on Oct. 3, 2021, the Lake Oswego Police Department said in a news release. The area features multimillion dollar homes in a heavily wooded area bordering the Willamette River.

The woman worked with detectives during the investigation and identified the alleged suspect as McLemore, who played for the Trail Blazers at the time, police said.

“Mr. McLemore moved out of state during the investigation and frequently traveled overseas for his employment, resulting in delays in the investigation, while detectives continued to gather evidence,” police said in the news release.

An indictment was handed up from a Clackamas County grand jury in February after hearing the victim’s testimony and evidence, police said.

“We applaud the courage of the survivor to come forward and put herself through this arduous process, and we will continue to support her in any way we can,” police added.

McLemore appeared for his arraignment Wednesday at Clackamas County Circuit Court, the Oregonian newspaper reported. Jail records by Wednesday evening showed McLemore had posted bail, set at $500,000, and he was expected to be released from custody.

Clackamas County Circuit Judge Katherine Weber allowed McLemore to travel outside Oregon as he awaits trial and ruled he must undergo hair testing to monitor if he’s complied with a court-ordered limited on alcohol consumption, the Oregonian reported.

Court records show he is due back in court July 1.

McLemore starred at Kansas, where he was a first-team All-Big 12 Conference selection and a second-team All-American after averaging 15.9 points and 5.2 rebounds in 2012-13.

The Kings selected McLemore with the seventh pick in the 2013 NBA draft. In 2014, McLemore represented the Kings in the Slam Dunk Contest as part of All-Star Weekend.

He spent his first four seasons in Sacramento before going on to play for the Memphis Grizzlies, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers. He played for the Kings from 2013 to 2017 and again during the 2018-19 season.

McLemore posted career averages of 9.0 points and 2.3 rebounds in 556 games during his NBA career. He had his best season in Sacramento in 2014-15, averaging a career-high 12.1 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists while shooting 43.7% from the field and 35.8% from 3-point range.

McLemore last played in the NBA in 2021-22, averaging 10.2 points in 64 games for the Trail Blazers. Over the past two years, he has played overseas for the Shandong Hi-Speed Kirin of the Chinese Basketball Association, AEK Athens of the Greek Basket League and Rio Breogan of the Liga ACB.

The Marshals Service said McLemore was arrested by law enforcement agencies with its Northwest Violent Offender Task Force, which includes the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office. It specializes in arresting violent fugitives, according to its website.