‘Truth will come to light’: Ex-Kings player Ben McLemore denies raping woman while in NBA

Former Sacramento Kings player Ben McLemore released a statement denying allegations he raped a woman in 2021 while playing for another NBA team, and said he was confident his name would be cleared.

McLemore, 31, was arrested Tuesday by federal and Oregon state authorities after a Clackamas County grand jury handed up an indictment alleging he raped and sexually assaulted a woman while playing for the Portland Trail Blazers. He appeared for his arraignment Wednesday, facing charges of first-degree rape, unlawful sexual penetration and two counts of sexual abuse

The 6-foot-3 guard, whose NBA career ended in 2022, said he’s not accused of using physical force to rape the victim, but for having sex with a woman “who now claims she did not consent” when she was “too intoxicated to consent,” the statement said.

“I did not rape this woman,” McLemore said in a statement released to reporters Thursday. “I am not sexually abusive. I have never pursued a sexual relationship when I understood the woman was not interested in me and acting willingly.”

Police officers in Lake Oswego, Clackamas County, said the incident came to light at a home in the 1200 block of Cherry Lane on Oct. 3, 2021. The woman worked with detectives and testified in front of a grand jury, police said in a news release.

The victim couldn’t consent for reasons that include “mental incapacitation” or “physical helplessness,” according to the indictment, The Oregonian newspaper reported

“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.

McLemore has played overseas since 2023 and is currently playing for Spanish basketball team Río Breogán.

McLemore in his statement pushed back against the notion he didn’t cooperate with the investigation. He and his attorneys “immediately” made plans to return to the United States after learning of the indictment while notifying authorities of his travel plans.

He indicated to authorities he wanted to testify, but was “refused that opportunity,” the statement said. His attorneys have not yet received discovery from prosecutors, the statement said.

“I met every request they made of me, immediately and professionally,” he said. Later adding, “I could not have done more to assist in the process.”

Clackamas County Circuit Judge Katherine Weber set bail Wednesday at $500,000, and McLemore posted the necessary bail, according to court records.

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 stints with 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 is due back in court July 1.

“The truth will come to light,” he said in the statement. “I am confident we will prevail and my name will be cleared.”

The Bee’s Jason Anderson contributed to this story.