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Baxter Holmes, ESPN Senior Writer
Former NBA guard Ben McLemore was arrested by U.S. Marshals on Tuesday and jailed in Oregon, where he faces sex crime charges stemming from allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman in 2021 when he was playing for the Portland Trail Blazers.
McLemore, 31, hasn’t played in the NBA since 2022, and he was in recent days playing professionally in Spain. He was arrested at Portland International Airport on an outstanding felony warrant for one charge of first-degree rape, one charge of first-degree unlawful sexual penetration and two charges of second-degree sexual abuse, according to police from Lake Oswego, Oregon.
In a statement Thursday, McLemore denied the allegations, saying, “The truth will come to light. I am confident we will prevail and my name will be cleared.”
The charges stem from a report of sexual assault in Lake Oswego on Oct. 3, 2021, when McLemore was playing for the Trail Blazers. Police began investigating, and McLemore was identified as a suspect.
After playing for the Trail Blazers, McLemore began competing overseas for professional teams in China, Greece and Spain, where he last played with the Spanish team Rio Breogan on Saturday against Palencia.
Lake Oswego Police said McLemore’s departure from Oregon during the investigation led to delays, though detectives continued to gather evidence.
In February, a Clackamas County grand jury heard evidence in the case, including testimony from the woman who said McLemore assaulted her, and issued an indictment against McLemore as well as an arrest warrant, 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,” the police added.
McLemore said he and his attorneys “cooperated fully with the investigation” and that he was not given the opportunity to testify before the grand jury.
McLemore was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center at 12:58 p.m. PT Tuesday before being moved to Clackamas County Jail, according to a spokesperson for the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office.
McLemore was arraigned Wednesday afternoon in Clackamas County Circuit Court.
By Wednesday evening, jail logs showed that McLemore had been released. His bail was set at $500,000, with McLemore being required to post $50,000.
His next court hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. PT on July 1 in Oregon.
McLemore was the seventh pick in the 2013 draft out of Kansas and played for five teams across nine NBA seasons.
Source: www.espn.com