Golden State Warriors forward Anthony Lamb was accused of rape in a civil lawsuit filed Thursday against the University of Vermont, where he played from 2016 to 2020.
Lamb was not named as a defendant in the case, but Kendall Ware, one of the plaintiffs and a swimmer who attended Vermont, claimed that the NBA player forced himself on her after she repeatedly asked him to stop. The alleged incident is part of a larger case in which the plaintiffs are arguing that the university maintains “deliberate indifference” to sexual assault. Defendants include the school, the board of trustees, several administrators and Athletic Director Jeff Schulman.
“During the encounter, without Ware’s consent, Lamb forcefully anally penetrated Ware as she repeatedly pleaded with him to stop, telling him ‘no’ over and over,” the suit said. “Ignoring her unequivocal demands, he told her to ‘just take it’ and continued to rape her.”
In addition to rape, Ware also accused Lamb of filming her during sex and removing his condom, all without her consent. The two had been dating for six months when Ware claims that the incident occurred at a party following an argument. In a statement, Lamb has denied all claims and welcomes further investigation into the issue.
“The allegations made against me in 2019 that have recently resurfaced are patently false,” he said in a statement. “I have always been fully cooperative regarding the alleged incident, and have welcomed any investigation into the matter. Simply put, I have never committed sexual assault.”
Warriors General Manager Bob Myers also came to Lamb’s defense, claiming that the team looked into the issue before signing him.
“Anthony is not a defendant in this recent lawsuit and, to our knowledge, he has never been charged with any wrongdoing in any legal case,” a team statement said. “Prior to signing Anthony in September, we did our due diligence with the NBA and his prior teams, as we do with all players. If any new information comes to light, we will certainly evaluate it and act accordingly.”
Lamb went undrafted following his college career and played in the G League for a time before finding a spot on the Houston Rockets. He has since played for the Spurs and Warriors.
