Former Portland Trail Blazer Ben McLemore is scheduled to go on trial this week on allegations that he raped a woman at a Lake Oswego home, with testimony expected from at least one old teammate, Robert Covington.
Jury selection is set to begin Tuesday. The trial is expected to last two weeks.
McLemore, 32, faces allegations of first-degree rape, first-degree unlawful sexual penetration and two counts of second-degree sexual abuse.
The indictment identifies the alleged victim only by her initials and describes her as incapable of consent due to “mental incapacitation” or “physical helplessness.”
So far, authorities have revealed little about the circumstances that led a grand jury to issue an indictment in February 2024.
Lake Oswego police said last year that the alleged crimes took place in October 2021 at a home in the 1200 block of Cherry Lane in Lake Oswego.
Prosecutors told the court that they plan to call Covington as a witness. Covington played 11 years in the NBA, including for the Blazers in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons. Since leaving the Blazers, Covington played for the Los Angeles Clippers and Philadelphia 76ers. He suffered a knee injury midway through the 2023-24 season and didn’t play again.
It is unclear who McLemore’s lawyers will call as witnesses; their witness list is not in the public court file. McLemore is represented by Lisa Maxfield and Kristen Winemiller. They did not immediately respond to an email Monday about their witness list.
McLemore played one season with the Blazers in 2021-22 and is no longer with the NBA. If convicted, he could face a minimum of eight years and four months in prison.
— Noelle Crombie is an enterprise reporter with a focus on criminal justice. Reach her at 503-276-7184 or ncrombie@oregonian.com.