Report: Former NBA, Kansas guard Ben McLemore facing first-degree rape charge

Former NBA player and Kansas star Ben McLemore has been arrested at the Portland airport on Tuesday on allegations of first-degree rape and other sex crimes, according to multiple reports.

The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office revealed that McLemore’s arrest stems from an outstanding warrant and has been booked into the Clackamas County jail. He was arraigned in court on Wednesday afternoon and formally charged.

Lake Oswego Police Department has released a statement saying that the incident occurred on Oct. 3, 2021 while McLemore was a member of the Portland Trail Blazers. Thee victim identified McLemore on the same day of the crime and police collected evidence that tied him with the crime.

However, McLemore begun playing basketball internationally around the same time, which caused delays in the investigation and his eventual arrest.

Before this, a grand jury in Clackamas County heard evidence about the case back in February, including testimony from the survivor while led to his arrest at the Portland International Airport on Tuesday.

McLemore began his NBA career with the Sacramento Kings after being selected with the seventh overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. He played his first four seasons in the NBA as a King before leaving for the Memphis Grizzlies — but was ultimately traded back to Sacramento for the final 19 games of that year.

Overall, he played for five different teams during his NBA career, including stints with the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers as well.

Before turning pro, McLemore was starring in his role at Kansas. Spending one season in Lawrence, McLemore averaged 15.9 points and 5.2 rebounds for the Jayhawks during his 37-game collegiate sample size.

He most recently played for the Trail Blazers during the 2021-22 season, playing in 64 games for Portland while logging six starts that season. He averaged. 10.2 points that year — the second-highest mark of his career. However, he was mostly a journeyman for the back half of his career having played for five teams his last five seasons.

McLemore finished his NBA career having participated in 556 games as an active player across 10 seasons. He averaged 9.0 points and 2.3 rebounds per game over that time while plated 22.5 minutes per game.

Since he left the association, he has singed contracts with teams across the world including in China, Greece and Spain. He most recently played in Spain for Rio Breogan of Liga ACB.