Ben McLemore

Ben McLemore is a professional basketball player, who is currently playing for the Portland Trail Blazer as the team's shooting guard. McLemore was born in St. Louis, Missouri, where he played basketball for the Wellston High School for 3 years. During his senior year, he transferred to Oak Hill Academy and Christian Life Center. McLemore was known for his similarities of gameplay and size with Ray Allen.

Pre-NBA Career

McLemore was considered a 4-star recruit by Rivals.com, and he was also ranked as the Top 9 shooting guard and Top 34 player in the US when he was in high school. He eventually attended college at the University of Kansas, however, he was denied to play because he attended multiple schools when he was in high school. However, he was only allowed to practice with the team and become an active member of the varsity team.

In his second year, the university allowed him to play as a redshirt freshman. He made an average of 15.9 points with 5.2 rebounds and 2 assists per game. He also recorded a 49.5% shooting accuracy from the field and 87% from the foul line.

Professional NBA Career

Before he joined the NBA Draft, McLemore was involved in a controversy where NBA Agent Rodney Blackstock gave money to McLemore's coach in exchange for his coach to steer McLemore toward a certain NBA Agent. Due to the incident, McLemore blacklisted Blackstock for 3 home games. In the end, he decided to sign with Blackstock.

McLemore joined the 2013 NBA Draft, where he was selected by the Sacramento Kings and made him join the 2013 NBA Summer League. Because of his performance and contribution to the team, he has been declared the Western Conference Rookie of the Month. He also participated in the Slam Dunk competition in 2014.

One of his most significant transfers was with the Portland Trail Blazers, where he had to prove to his former team, the Los Angeles Lakers, that they made a mistake giving him up. During the 2021-22 season, he recorded an average of 8.9 points with 50% shooting accuracy.

Team History:

• 2019–2021 - Houston Rockets
• 2021 - Los Angeles Lakers
• 2021–present - Portland Trail

Blazers

Achievements:

• 2013 First-Team All-Big 12
• 2013 Consensus second-team

All-American