Ben McLemore, who was selected by the Sacramento Kings with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, has reportedly been arrested after allegations of first-degree rape and other sex crimes allegations surfaced, per Aimee Green and Noelle Crombie of oregonlive.com.
“Former Portland Trail Blazer Ben McLemore was booked into Clackamas County Jail Wednesday on charges of first-degree rape and other sex crimes allegations,” the articles states.
McLemore, 31, has not played in the NBA since the 2021-22 season. He has played overseas in recent years. Before getting drafted in 2013, McLemore was an exciting prospect. He never lived up to his potential in the NBA, however.
Ben McLemore's NBA career
McLemore made his NBA debut with the Kings during the 2013-14 season. Sacramento was in the middle of a long playoff drought and they were hopeful that McLemore could help them return to the postseason.
McLemore struggled for most of his rookie season but the Kings remained confident in his ability. The 2014-15 campaign would end up being one of McLemore's best seasons in the NBA. He averaged a career-high 12.1 points per game on 43.7 percent field goal and 35.8 percent three-point shooting.
McLemore failed to take another step forward in 2015-16. He would end up having a number of efficient three-point seasons, but McLemore never produced the results Sacramento was likely looking for.
He ended up with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2017-18 before returning to Sacramento for the 2018-19 campaign. In 2019-20, McLemore found himself with the Houston Rockets. He would remain in Houston until getting waived by the Rockets in 2021.
The Los Angeles Lakers took a chance and signed Ben McLemore, but he would play just 21 games. McLemore signed with the Portland Trail Blazers for the 2021-22 season. He turned in a fairly respectable performance in a bench role, averaging 10.2 points per outing on 40.1 percent field goal and 36.2 percent three-point shooting.
As mentioned earlier, McLemore has since played overseas. It was not clear if he was looking to return to the NBA, but he certainly wanted to keep playing professional basketball.
We will continue to monitor and provide updates on Ben McLemore's legal situation as they are made available.
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