Trail Blazer Top Star Player Was Accused Of First-Degree Rape In Oregon…
Former Portland Trail Blazer Ben McLemore appeared in Clackamas County Circuit Court on Wednesday on charges of rape and other alleged sex crimes stemming from 2021.
An indictment that was unsealed after the hearing accuses McLemore, who played one season with the Blazers in 2021-22 and is no longer with the NBA, of first-degree rape, first-degree unlawful sexual penetration and two counts of second-degree sexual abuse. If convicted, he could face a minimum of eight years and four months in prison.
Former Kings player Ben McLemore was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of rape and other charges after a grand jury in Oregon returned an indictment alleging he sexually assaulted a woman in 2021 while in the NBA. McLemore, a guard who ended his NBA career in 2022 with the Portland Trail Blazers, had just landed at noon at the Portland International Airport when law enforcement authorities arrived to carry out their arrest, Pete Cajigal, a spokesman for the U.S. Marshals Service, wrote in an email. The 31-year-old, who now plays professional basketball in Spain, was booked on suspicion of rape, unlawful sexual penetration and two counts of sexual abuse, according to Clackamas County jail logs.
Ore. (KPTV) – Former Portland Trail Blazer Ben McLemore was booked in Clackamas County Jail on Wednesday and charged with first-degree rape among other sex crime charges.
These charges come after Lake Oswego Police said the victim reported the sexual assault in October 2021 when McLemore was still a Blazer.
Court documents said McLemore sexually assaulted someone who was ‘incapable of consent by reason of mental incapacitation, physical helplessness and or incapability of appraising the nature of the victim’s conduct.’
Police said McLemore moved out of state during the investigation which caused delays. Documents said the alleged victim worked with them for years and testified to a grand jury February which led to the indictment.
“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,” said Lake Oswego Police in a written statement.
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Draymond Green, Klay Thompson ruled out vs. Blazers
The Golden State Warriors are getting ready to face the Portland Trail Blazers in a very important Thursday night game. To an extent, the Warriors control their own fate right now — if they win out, they’ll jump at least the Los Angeles Lakers in the standings. So needless to say, a victory in their final road game of the regular season is very important.
But it won’t be easy, as the Warriors are down a pair of starters. In between Tuesday’s win and Thursday afternoon, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson both popped up on the injury report as questionable — the former with a right knee contusion, and the latter with right knee tendonitis. And a few hours before the game, the news went from bad to worse, with the Warriors announcing that both players would be out for the game.
It’s unclear how much the schedule is playing into the injury status. Thursday’s game is the front half of a back-to-back, as the Dubs host the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday. The Pelicans, who are 47-32 and fighting desperately to stay out of the Play-In Tournament, are a much harder opponent than the Blazers, who are 21-58 and have turned their attention to the offseason. Even if Green and Thompson could play, it’s possible that Steve Kerr would bank on being able to beat Portland while short-handed, and make sure that he has a full squad for the tougher game. After all, he did something similar over the weekend when he gave Steph Curry a day of rest against the Utah Jazz.
A road win without their best defensive player and second-best scorer won’t be easy for the Warriors, but if it’s any consolation, Portland has an even more extensive list of names on their injury report.
Another day of NBA betting has arrived, and we’re here to provide you with our top picks for Thursday’s NBA basketball matchups. Our Basketball Forever betting bot has run thousands of simulations on each game today, selecting our top bets for Thursday, April 11, 2024.
Our Basketball Forever betting bot has uncovered the best bet of the day, taking place in the Warriors vs Trail Blazers matchup. In this matchup, our model has determined that Trail Blazers +13.5 is a solid wager to place in tonight’s NBA slate. Tonight will be the fourth time these teams face off head-to-head with the Warriors winning all three this season. Although winning every game, the Trail Blazers were able to cover the spread in 2/3 games. Our Basketball Forever betting bot predicts that the Trail Blazers will be able to beat the spread, keeping themselves within 13.5 points.
Our Basketball Forever betting bot recommends placing a wager on Trail Blazers +13.5 through Draftkings Sportsbook. With -108 odds and a 2.3% edge.