Ben Edward McLemore IIIKeegan, Tom
Rising above: Ben Mclemore elevates above adversity
''

Lawrence Journal-World The ''Lawrence Journal-World'' is a daily newspaper published in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, by Ogden Newspapers. History Though the ''Journal-World'' title came into existence in 1911, the paper dates itself to 1858, according to the ...

'', December 5, 2012. (born February 11, 1993) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player for Merkezefendi Belediyesi Denizli of the

Basketbol Süper Ligi The Basketball Super League (; TBSL), also known as the Türkiye Sigorta Basketbol Süper Ligi for sponsorship reasons, is the top men's professional basketball division of the Turkish basketball league system. It replaced the former Turkish Bas ...

(BSL). He played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for the

Kansas Jayhawks The Kansas Jayhawks, commonly referred to as simply KU or Kansas, are the athletic teams that represent the University of Kansas. KU is one of three schools List of college athletic programs in Kansas, in the state of Kansas that participate in ...

, and was selected with the seventh overall pick in the

2013 NBA draft The 2013 NBA draft was held on June 27, 2013, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including internation ...

by the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Confere ...

. McLemore spent four seasons with the team before signing with the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division of the ...

in July 2017. He was traded back to Sacramento in July 2018 but was waived in February 2019. In July of the same year, McLemore signed with the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...

. He signed with the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

in April 2021 and joined the Trail Blazers in August of the same year. He signed with the

Shandong Hi-Speed Kirin Shandong Hi-Speed Kirin () is a Chinese professional basketball team based in Jinan, Shandong, competing in the Northern Division of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). Some of the team's home games are also held in the nearby city of Linyi. ...

in January 2023.

High school career

McLemore played

high school basketball High school basketball, also known as prep basketball, is the sport of basketball as played by High school (North America), high school teams in the United States and Canada. Top high school athletes often go on to play college basketball after ...

at Wellston High School in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

for three years before his school was shut down in 2010. He then attended both Oak Hill Academy in

Mouth of Wilson, Virginia Mouth of Wilson is an unincorporated community, in Grayson County in the U.S. state of Virginia, just north of the North Carolina state line. The community lies in the Blue Ridge Highlands section of the Blue Ridge Mountains which are part of w ...

and Christian Life Center in

Humble, Texas Humble ( ) is a city located in the Greater Houston, Houston metropolitan area. Humble became an Boomtown, oil boomtown in the early 20th century when oil was first discovered there in 1904. By 1905, the Humble oilfield was the largest producing ...

during his senior year of high school. Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, McLemore was listed as the No. 9 shooting guard and the No. 34 player in the nation in 2011.

College career

After committing to Kansas, McLemore was deemed ineligible to play by the NCAA because he attended multiple high schools, resulting in his transcripts being "a little fuzzy". He was allowed to practice with the team and take part in team activities starting in the second semester of the school year. At the beginning of his college career, McLemore was considered to be either a late first-round or early second-round prospect. However, during his first season as a redshirt freshman, McLemore averaged 15.9

points A point is a small dot or the sharp tip of something. Point or points may refer to: Mathematics * Point (geometry), an entity that has a location in space or on a plane, but has no extent; more generally, an element of some abstract topologica ...

, 5.2

rebounds 'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...

, and 2.0 assists, with 49.5% shooting from the field and 87% shooting from the foul line, and was named a finalist for the John R. Wooden Award. After declaring for the

, allegations arose that NBA agent Rodney Blackstock had given thousands of dollars in impermissible benefits to McLemore's AAU coach, Darius Cobb, in exchange for Cobb steering McLemore toward certain financial advisers and NBA agents. Lending credence to Cobb's allegations, McLemore had Blackstock on his guest pass list for at least three Kansas home games that season, and subsequently signed Blackstock as his NBA agent. This set of facts caused the launch of an NCAA investigation to determine whether or not Kansas would have to vacate the basketball games in which McLemore played.

Professional career

Sacramento Kings (2013–2017)

McLemore was selected with the seventh overall pick by the

in the

. On July 13, 2013, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Kings and joined them for the

2013 NBA Summer League The 2013 NBA Summer League is a pro basketball league run by the NBA just after the 2013 NBA draft. It gives newly drafted players a chance to test their skills against each other, and to give them a feel for professional basketball. All 30 NBA ...

. He was named the Western Conference Rookie of the Month for November 2013. In February 2014, McLemore was selected to participate in the 2014 Sprite Slam Dunk contest. In the Kings' final game of the regular season on April 16, McLemore scored a season-high 31 points in a loss to the Phoenix Suns. In his rookie season, he played all 82 games (55 starts), averaging 8.8 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 26.7 minutes per game. In July 2014, McLemore re-joined the Kings for the

2014 NBA Summer League The 2014 NBA Summer League consists of two pro basketball leagues organized by the NBA and the Orlando Magic just after the 2014 NBA draft. Ten teams took part in the week-long summer league at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, from July 5 t ...

where he helped them win the Summer League championship while averaging 12.6 points in seven games. On October 19, 2014, the Kings exercised their third-year team option on McLemore's rookie scale contract, extending the contract through the 2015–16 season. On March 11, 2015, he scored a season-high 27 points in a win over the

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team ...

. He started in all 82 regular season games for the Kings in 2014–15 while averaging 12.1 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 32.6 minutes per game. On October 3, 2015, the Kings exercised their fourth-year team option on McLemore's rookie scale contract, extending the contract through the 2016–17 season. On December 5, he had a season-best game with 19 points and 9 rebounds in a loss to the Houston Rockets. On January 28, 2016, he scored a season-high 26 points in a loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. On February 1, McLemore missed his first game of his career due to a sprained right wrist, snapping his consecutive games streak at 211, which was the second-longest in the NBA behind

Tristan Thompson Tristan Trevor James Thompson (born March 13, 1991) is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He won an NBA championship with the Cavaliers in 2016 and has also played ...

(335). He later missed 10 games in March with a finger-tip injury. On February 10, 2017, McLemore had a season-high 22 points, helped by a career-best six three-pointers, in a 108–107 win over the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

. On March 29, 2017, he tied a season high with 22 points in a 112–82 loss to the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...

Memphis Grizzlies (2017–2018)

On July 7, 2017, McLemore signed a multi-year contract with the

. On August 8, 2017, he was ruled out for approximately 12 weeks after fracturing his right foot in a pickup game. On November 2, 2017, McLemore was assigned to the

Memphis Hustle The Memphis Hustle are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in the Greater Memphis suburb of Southaven, Mississippi, and are affiliated with the Memphis Grizzlies. The team plays their home games at the Landers C ...

of the

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the Minor league#Basketball, developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of ...

. He was recalled a week later, and made his debut for the Grizzlies on November 11, 2017, recording four points and two rebounds in 18 minutes off the bench in a 111–96 loss to the

. On December 9, 2017, he scored a season-high 17 points in a 102–101 overtime loss to the

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Confer ...

. On January 19, 2018, he set a new season high with 21 points in a 106–88 win over the

Return to Sacramento (2018–2019)

On July 17, 2018, McLemore was traded, along with Deyonta Davis, a 2021 second-round pick and cash considerations, to the

in exchange for

Garrett Temple Garrett Bartholomew Temple (born May 8, 1986) is an American professional basketball player for the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the LSU Tigers. High school career Temple attende ...

. On February 7, 2019, McLemore was waived by the Kings.

Houston Rockets (2019–2021)

On July 23, 2019, McLemore signed with the

. On December 5, 2019, McLemore led the Rockets in scoring with a season-high 28 points, on top of career-best 8-of-17 shooting from behind the three-point arc in a 119–109 win against the

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), E ...

. On December 7, 2019, McLemore finished with 27 points on 10-of-15 field goal shooting (5-of-9 from beyond the arc) in a 115–109 win against the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA), We ...

, which is the first time he has contributed more than 25 points in consecutive games in his career. On April 3, 2021, the Rockets waived McLemore.

Los Angeles Lakers (2021)

On April 6, 2021, McLemore signed with the

. On April 8, he made his debut in a loss against the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern C ...

, scoring 6 points off the bench.

Portland Trail Blazers (2021–2022)

On August 5, 2021, McLemore signed with the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (N ...

. He made his debut for the team on October 23, scoring six points in a 134–105 win over the

Shandong Hi-Speed Kirin (2023)

On January 31, 2023, McLemore signed a one-year contract with the

of the CBA.

AEK Athens (2023)

On August 6, 2023, McLemore signed with

AEK Athens A.E.K. (; Athlitikí Énosis Konstantinoupόleos, ''Athletic Union of Constantinople'') is a major Greek multi-sport club based in Nea Filadelfeia, Attica. The club is more commonly known in European competitions as A.E.K. Athens. Establishe ...

of the

Greek Basket League The Greek Basketball League (GBL), and also known as the Stoiximan Greek Basketball League (GBL) for sponsorship reasons, is the Greek basketball league system, first tier level professional basketball league in Greece. It is run by the ...

and the

Basketball Champions League The Basketball Champions League (BCL), also commonly known as the FIBA Champions League, is an annual professional basketball competition for European sports club, clubs, organised by FIBA. It is the European professional club basketball system ...

, his first European club. His contract was terminated by mutual agreement in December 2023.

Río Breogán (2023–2024)

On December 22, 2023, McLemore was announced as Club Baloncesto Breogán's new signing for the remainder of the 2023-24

Liga ACB The Liga ACB, known as Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system. Administered by the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), Liga ACB is contested by 18 teams, w ...

and

season. He will wear number 7 for the Galician club.

Yukatel Merkezefendi (2024–present)

On August 22, 2024, he signed with Yukatel Merkezefendi of the

(BSL).

Player profile

Before he was drafted, McLemore's size, style of play, and abilities had garnered comparisons to former

NBA All-Star The National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game is an annual exhibition basketball game. It is the main event of the NBA All-Star Weekend. Traditionally, the All-Star Game featured a conference-based format, featuring a team composed of ...

Ray Allen Walter Ray Allen Jr. (born July 20, 1975) is an American former professional basketball player. Allen played 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a play ...

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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, 68 , , 53 , , 21.2 , , .429 , , .362 , , .718 , , 2.2 , , 1.2 , , .8 , , .1 , , 7.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 61 , , 26 , , 19.3 , , .430 , , .382 , , .753 , , 2.1 , , .8 , , .5 , , .1 , , 8.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

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Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

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, 32 , , 4 , , 16.8 , , .357 , , .331 , , .719 , , 2.1 , , .9 , , .6 , , .1 , , 7.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 21 , , 1 , , 17.5 , , .390 , , .368 , , .762 , , 1.6 , , .5 , , .1 , , .3 , , 8.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

, 64 , , 6 , , 20.1 , , .401 , , .362 , , .818 , , 1.6 , , .9 , , .6 , , .2 , , 10.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 556 , , 267 , , 22.5 , , .414 , , .363 , , .780 , , 2.3 , , 1.0 , , .6 , , .2 , , 9.0

Playoffs

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2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

, style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 4 , , 0 , , 9.0 , , .222 , , .333 , , — , , 1.8 , , .3 , , .3 , , .0 , , 1.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 15 , , 0 , , 11.1 , , .347 , , .381 , , , , 1.2 , , .5 , , .3 , , .0 , , 3.3

College

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Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

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Personal life

On July 4, 2015, Wellston Avenue, the street on which McLemore grew up, was renamed Ben McLemore III Place in his honor. In March 2017, McLemore's first child, Teagan, was born. In March 2024, McLemore was involved in a drunken driving incident in

Lugo, Spain Lugo (, ) is a city in northwestern Spain in the autonomous community of Galicia. It is the capital of the province of Lugo. The municipality had a population of 100,060 in 2024, making it the fourth most populous city in Galicia. Lugo is the o ...

. On April 10, 2024, McLemore was arrested by Clackamas County (Oregon) Sheriff's Office on charges of first-degree rape, first-degree unlawful sexual penetration and two counts of second-degree sexual abuse. The charges combine for a maximum sentence of 45 years in prison.

References

External links

Kansas Jayhawks bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:McLemore, Ben 1993 births Living people 21st-century American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen AEK B.C. players All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players American expatriate basketball people in China American expatriate basketball people in Greece American expatriate basketball people in Spain Basketball players from St. Louis CB Breogán players Houston Rockets players Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball players Liga ACB players Los Angeles Lakers players Memphis Grizzlies players Memphis Hustle players Merkezefendi Belediyesi Denizli Basket players Portland Trail Blazers players Sacramento Kings draft picks Sacramento Kings players Shandong Hi-Speed Kirin players Shooting guards