Ovinton J'Anthony "O.J." Mayo (born November 5, 1987) 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 who last played for

Zamalek SC Zamalek Sporting Club (), commonly referred to as Zamalek, is an List of football clubs in Egypt, Egyptian Club based in Cairo, Egypt. The club is best known for its professional men's Association football, football team, which plays in the Egy ...

of the

Egyptian Basketball Super League The Egyptian Basketball Premier League () is the top professional basketball division of the Egyptian basketball league system. Administered by the Egyptian Basketball Federation (EBBFED), it is contested by 16 teams, with the two lowest-placed te ...

and

Egyptian Basketball Federation The Egyptian Basketball Federation is the governing body of the sport of basketball in Egypt. It joined International Basketball Federation FIBA in 1934. History It was founded in 1934, and was a member of FIBA Europe, as the FIBA Africa zone w ...

. He played a single season of

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

USC Trojans The USC Trojans (also Southern California Trojans) are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles. While the men's teams are nicknamed the ...

while earning first-team All-Pac-10 honors. Mayo entered the

2008 NBA draft The 2008 NBA Draft was held on June 26, 2008, at the The Theater at Madison Square Garden, Washington Mutual Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. In this NBA draft, draft, National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took t ...

and was selected by the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves (often referred to as the Wolves or T-wolves) are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Divisio ...

with the third overall pick. He was later traded to 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 ...

, with whom he played four seasons. Mayo signed with the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Divisi ...

in 2012, and then with the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

in 2013. However, he was retroactively declared ineligible when it was discovered that he had received improper benefits in violation of

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

rules before he even played a game, and the

Trojans Trojan or Trojans may refer to: * Of or from the ancient city of Troy * Trojan language, the language of the historical Trojans Arts and entertainment Music * ''Les Troyens'' ('The Trojans'), an opera by Berlioz, premiered part 1863, part 1890 ...

vacated all of their 21 wins from the 2007–08 season. In July 2016, Mayo was banned from the NBA for violating the league's anti-drug program. After a two-year hiatus, he resumed his career with

Atléticos de San Germán Atléticos de San Germán is a basketball club of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN) based in San Germán, Puerto Rico. Founded in the 1930s after the amalgamation of the old San Germán team and the Farmacia Martín team, the team is one of ...

of the

Baloncesto Superior Nacional The Baloncesto Superior Nacional, abbreviated as BSN, is the first-tier-level professional men's basketball list of basketball leagues, league in Puerto Rico. It was founded in 1929 and is organized by the Puerto Rican Basketball Federation. T ...

(BSN) in

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

High school career

Mayo began playing high school basketball at

Rose Hill Christian High School Rose Hill Christian High School is a private, non-profit Christian school operated by the Rose Hill Missionary Baptist Church in Ashland, Kentucky, United States. Organized in 1980, the school draws students from several Kentucky counties, as wel ...

Ashland, Kentucky Ashland is a List of cities in Kentucky, home rule-class city in Boyd County, Kentucky, United States. The most populous city in Boyd County, Ashland is located upon the southern bank of the Ohio River at the state border with Ohio and near West ...

. In Kentucky, grade schoolers can play high school basketball, and Mayo averaged 23.1 points for Rose Hill's varsity team while in 7th grade. In 8th grade he was just turning 15 and tallied 27 points per game and was named a first-team all-state player by the ''

Louisville Courier-Journal The ''Courier Journal'', also known as the ''Louisville Courier Journal'' (and informally ''The C-J'' or ''The Courier''), and called ''The Courier-Journal'' between November 8, 1868, and October 29, 2017, is a daily newspaper published in ...

''. Mayo then moved to suburban Cincinnati to live with club team coach Dwaine Barnes. (Mayo referred to him as his "grandfather" but the two aren't related.) Mayo enrolled at North College Hill High School in

North College Hill, Ohio North College Hill is a city in Hamilton County in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio approximately ten miles north of downtown Cincinnati. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 9,663. The city takes its name from its proxi ...

in April 2003. ''

The Cincinnati Enquirer ''The Cincinnati Enquirer'' is a morning daily newspaper published by Gannett in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. First published in 1841, the ''Enquirer'' is the last remaining daily newspaper in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, altho ...

'' and local television stations sent reporters to cover Mayo's first day of school at NCH. Mayo was selected as Mr. Basketball of Ohio for the second consecutive season, in addition to being named Associated Press Division III Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. He averaged nearly 29 points, nine rebounds, and six assists per game. He also led his team to three consecutive AP poll titles and was featured in the pages of ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...

'' among other publications. In February 2006, Mayo attracted the largest crowd to ever see a high school game in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

when 16,202 fans watched North College Hill fall to the nation's number one rated team, Oak Hill Academy. Mayo had been considered a lock to make the leap straight from high school to the NBA, but the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the NBA and its players instituted a rule that a player must be at least a year out of high school before he can enter the NBA, effectively curtailing those plans. On July 5, 2006, it was reported by

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

that he would attend

USC USC may refer to: Education United States * Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, Santurce, Puerto Rico * University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina ** University of South Carolina System, a state university system of South Carolina * ...

. Mayo enrolled at Huntington High School in

Huntington, West Virginia Huntington is a city in Cabell County, West Virginia, Cabell and Wayne County, West Virginia, Wayne counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The County seat, seat of Cabell County, the city is located at the confluence of the Ohio River, O ...

for the 2006–07 school year. He formally committed to USC in November 2006. In January 2007, Mayo allegedly assaulted referee Mike Lazo after being ejected from a Huntington High game vs. Capital High School at the

Charleston Civic Center The Charleston Coliseum & Convention Center (originally known as Charleston Civic Center) is a municipal complex located in the downtown area of Charleston, West Virginia, United States. Originally completed in 1958, it consists of four main ...

. In accordance with

West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission The West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission (WVSSAC, but colloquially referred to as SSAC) is the main governing body of high school sports, cheerleading, and marching bands in West Virginia, United States. Beginning with the 2024-25 s ...

rules, Mayo was suspended for two games. However, due to allegations that Lazo had overreacted and faked the incident, a temporary restraining order was signed by Cabell County Circuit Court Judge Dan O'Hanlan, temporarily lifting the suspensions on Mayo and five other players suspended due to incidents at that game. However, shortly after, the restraining order was nullified, and Mayo was suspended for three games, a punishment that Mayo described as "fair".

Awards and honors

Mayo was selected by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association as the 2007 recipient of the Bill Evans Award for the state's boys basketball player of the year. Mayo led the state in scoring for the 2006–2007 season at 28.4 points per game. Runner-up in the voting was teammate Patrick Patterson. On March 17, 2007, Mayo led Huntington High School to its third consecutive Class AAA basketball championship in the state of

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

with 103–61 rout of South Charleston. Mayo finished with a triple-double: 41 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists. He graduated in May 2007 and signed a

letter of intent A letter of intent (LOI or LoI, or Letter of Intent) is a document outlining the understanding between two or more parties which they intend to formalize in a legally binding agreement. The concept is similar to a heads of agreement, term she ...

to enroll at USC. He scored a 29 on the ACT, placing him in the 95th percentile nationally.

College career

Russell Westbrook guarding OJ Mayo cropped

Mayo had given

Kansas State Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public inst ...

a soft verbal commitment to play for them, but retracted it when head coach

Bob Huggins Robert Edward Huggins (born September 21, 1953), nicknamed "Huggy Bear", is an American college basketball coach. He was the head coach at Walsh, Akron, Cincinnati, Kansas State, and West Virginia. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial ...

announced he would take the same position at West Virginia. Frank Martin, by whom Mayo was recruited, was named head coach. Former teammate at North College Hill High School

Bill Walker Bill Walker may refer to: Australian rules football * Bill A. Walker (1886–1934), Australian rules footballer for Essendon * Bill Walker (Australian footballer, born 1883) (1883–1971), Australian rules footballer for Fitzroy * Bill J. V. Walke ...

opted to stay and play for Martin. Mayo enrolled at the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

(USC) in the summer of 2007, taking two classes. While waiting for the season to begin, he played pickup basketball at the UCLA men's gym against

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

players such as

Kobe Bryant Kobe Bean Bryant ( ; August 23, 1978 – January 26, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he List of NBA players who have spent their entire career with one franchise, spent his entire 20-year career with t ...

Sam Cassell Samuel James Cassell Sr. (born November 18, 1969) is an American professional basketball coach and former point guard who serves as an assistant coach for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Drafted 24th overall in th ...

Kevin Garnett Kevin Maurice Garnett ( ; born May 19, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player who played 21 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Big Ticket," Garnett is considered one of the greatest power f ...

Mike Dunleavy Jr. Michael Joseph Dunleavy Jr. (born September 15, 1980) is an American professional basketball executive and former player who is the general manager for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college ba ...

, D. J. Augustin,

Jason Kidd Jason Frederick Kidd (born March 23, 1973) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the List of current NBA head coaches, head coach for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely regar ...

Adam Morrison Adam John Morrison (born July 19, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player. Morrison played for three years at Gonzaga University and was considered to be one of the top college basketball players in 2005–06. He was a finalist ...

, and J. J. Redick. Mayo earned All-Pac-10 first team honors for the 2007–08 season. In the 2008 Pacific-10 Conference men's basketball tournament, the Trojans lost to

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

, featuring

Kevin Love Kevin Wesley Love (born September 7, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a five-time All-Star and a two-time member of the All-NBA Second Team, winning an N ...

and

Russell Westbrook Russell Westbrook III (born November 12, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A point guard, Westbrook made his NBA debut in 2008 and became a star as a member o ...

, in the semi-finals. Both Mayo and Love were selected to the All-Pac-10 tournament team. In his NCAA Tournament debut with the Trojans, Mayo scored 20 points as USC was beaten by

. Mayo did not return for his sophomore season, opting to instead enter the 2008 NBA draft.

Improper benefits and rules violation

On May 11, 2008,

reported that a former "confidant", Louis Johnson, revealed on ESPN's TV show ''

Outside the Lines ''Outside the Lines'' is an American sports news and analysis program that was broadcast by ESPN from 1990 to 2022. The series featured segments with discussions and investigative journalism surrounding prominent headlines and topics within spor ...

'' that Mayo received numerous gifts in violation of NCAA rules. The report stated that Mayo received the gifts from Rodney Guillory before and during his tenure at USC. Guillory is said to have received the money from the Bill Duffy Associates Sports Management (BDA). In April 2009, the NCAA combined its investigations of Mayo and former running back

Reggie Bush Reginald Alfred Bush II (born March 2, 1985) is an American former professional football running back. He played college football for the USC Trojans, earning consensus All-American honors twice and winning the 2005 Heisman Trophy. Bush is wide ...

into a single probe of the Trojans' athletic program. On January 3, 2010, USC announced that it had determined Mayo was ineligible for the 2007–2008 season because he had received improper benefits, and had thus forfeited his amateur status before ever playing a game for USC. As a result, USC vacated all 21 of its wins from the 2007–08 season, dropping its record to 0–12. A vacated game does not count as a win for the other team, but is officially treated as having never happened. USC also withdrew from postseason consideration (including the Pac-10 conference tournament) for the 2009–10 season.

Professional career

Memphis Grizzlies (2008–2012)

On June 26, 2008, Mayo was selected 3rd overall in the

by the Timberwolves. Later that day, he was traded, along with

Marko Jarić Marko Jarić ( sr-cyr, Марко Јарић, ; ; born 12 October 1978) is a Serbian former professional basketball player. Standing at 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in), he mainly played the point guard position. He also represented the senior FR Yugosl ...

Antoine Walker Antoine Devon Walker (born August 12, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player. He was drafted with the sixth overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft out of the University of Kentucky and played in the NBA from 1996 to 2008. Walker ...

, and Greg Buckner, to the

in exchange for

, Mike Miller, Brian Cardinal, and

Jason Collins Jason Paul Collins (born December 2, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player who was a center for 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Stanford Cardinal, where he wa ...

. Mayo was a part of the Select Team that helped get the U.S. national team ready for the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...

in Beijing. Mayo was the runner-up for the 2008–09

NBA Rookie of the Year Award The National Basketball Association's Rookie of the Year is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given to the top rookie(s) of the regular season. Initiated following the 1952–53 NBA season, it confers the Eddie Gottlieb Tr ...

, finishing second behind

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

point guard

Derrick Rose Derrick Martell Rose (born October 4, 1988) is an American former professional basketball player. He played one year of college basketball for the Memphis Tigers before being drafted first overall by his hometown Chicago Bulls in the 2008 NBA ...

. On November 1, 2009, Mayo scored a career-high 40 points against the Denver Nuggets on 17 of 25 shooting. Mayo was late for a game-day shootaround and was taken out of the starting lineup starting November 20, 2010. On a return flight to Memphis from Los Angeles, Mayo was involved in a fight with teammate Tony Allen over a debt from an in-flight card game. On January 27, the NBA suspended Mayo for 10 games following a positive test for the steroid dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), which violates the league's anti-drug program. Mayo blamed an over the counter supplement that he didn't know was banned by the NBA for the positive test, but he declined to say which supplement he used. He later said an unnamed

energy drink An energy drink is a type of non-alcoholic psychoactive functional beverage containing stimulant compounds, usually caffeine (at a higher concentration than ordinary soda pop) and taurine, which is marketed as reducing tiredness and improving pe ...

he bought at a

gas station A filling station (also known as a gas station [] or petrol station []) is a facility that sells fuel and engine lubricants for motor vehicles. The most common fuels sold are gasoline (or petrol) and diesel fuel. Fuel dispensers are used to ...

contained the banned substance. Despite playing in all 66 games of the shortened 2011–12 season, Mayo did not start in any games for the Grizzlies, playing as a

sixth man The sixth man in basketball is a player who is not a starting lineup, starter but comes off the bench much more often than other reserves, often being the first player to be substituted in, and the first to be used against the other team's subst ...

. When he was asked if being a reserve hurt his value, he answered, "I would say so, I would probably say so. What do you think?"

Dallas Mavericks (2012–2013)

The Grizzlies did not sign a qualifying offer sheet for Mayo, making him an

unrestricted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

. On July 19, Mayo officially signed with the Mavericks. On December 8, Mayo tied his career-high of 40 points in a game against 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) ...

. Two days later, he tied a career high of playing 52 minutes in a double-overtime loss to the Boston Celtics. On December 28, 2012, Mayo had a career high of 5 steals against the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...

. On March 6, Mayo recorded a new career high of 12 assists against the

. After Nowitzki, the Mavericks' all-time leading scorer, returned, Mayo saw his scoring average dip. Mayo said, "I'm a scorer and can shoot the ball a little bit, but I like to be a playmaker. I like to try to take what the defense gives you and not just concentrate on scoring the ball. Find other guys." Mayo finished the season with averages of 15.3 points, 4.4 assists and 3.5 rebounds while playing a team-high 35.5 minutes per game. His production dropped considerably after the All-Star break, when star player Nowitzki re-emerged after missing the first 27 games. On April 18, 2013, he announced he would decline the player option on his contract for the following season and become a free agent.

Milwaukee Bucks (2013–2016)

On July 13, 2013, Mayo signed a three-year, $24 million contract with the

. The signing was essentially a trade of starting shooting guards, as

Monta Ellis Monta Jerome Ellis ( ; born October 26, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player. Ellis attended Lanier High School (Jackson, Mississippi), Lanier High School in Jackson, Mississippi, where he was a McDonald's All-American Game, ...

departed Milwaukee to sign with Dallas. On October 30, 2013, in his Bucks debut, Mayo recorded 13 points and 5 rebounds in a loss to the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

. Mayo later missed time during the 2013–14 season due to issues with his conditioning as he appeared in a career-low 52 games. Mayo bounced back for the Bucks in 2014–15, recording seven 20-plus point games on the season. In Game 4 of the Bucks' first round playoff match-up against the

, Mayo scored 18 points and hit a clutch three-pointer with 1:42 left in the game to give the Bucks a six-point lead. On November 19, 2015, Mayo made his season debut for the Bucks after missing the first 11 games of the season due to a strained right hamstring he suffered in the final preseason game. On December 5, he had a season-best game after coach Jason Kidd started him at point guard, largely due to the Bucks being down on point guards due to injury. In 35 minutes of action, he recorded 17 points and 5 assists in a 106–91 win over the New York Knicks. On February 9, 2016, he returned to action against the Boston Celtics after missing 11 games with a left hamstring injury. On March 10, he was ruled out for the rest of the season after he suffered a fractured right ankle. On July 1, 2016, Mayo was dismissed from the NBA for a drug violation. He was eligible for reinstatement around the start of the

2018–19 NBA season The 2018–19 NBA season was the 73rd season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The regular season began on October 16, 2018, and ended on April 10, 2019. The 2019 NBA All-Star Game was played on February 17, 2019, at Spectrum Center ...

Atléticos de San Germán (2018)

On April 4, 2018, Mayo was reported to sign with

of the

. On June 27, he was released. Mayo started 18 of his 21 appearances with the team, shooting just 39.0 percent from the field and 34.7 percent from beyond the arc. He averaged 13.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.1 steals.

Dacin Tigers (2018–2019)

On October 22, 2018, Mayo was reported to sign with Dacin Tigers of the

Super Basketball League The Super Basketball League (), often abbreviated as the SBL, is a men's semi-pro basketball league in Taiwan. Teams Current teams * Bank of Taiwan (臺灣銀行) * Changhua Pauian BLL (彰化璞園柏力力) * Taiwan Beer (台灣啤酒) ...

in Taiwan. Mayo finished the 2018–19 SBL season with averages of 22.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.6 steals in 36 total games played (33 in the regular season and 3 in the playoffs), averaging 28.2 minutes per game and shooting 47.7% from the field (36.2% from the 3-point line).

Hunan Jinjian Rice Industry (2019)

Soon after the Taiwan's SBL season ended, Mayo signed with Hunan Jinjian Rice Industry of National Basketball League (NBL), the second-tier league in China.

Taipei Fubon Braves (2019–2020)

On October 17, 2019, the

Taipei Fubon Braves The Taipei Fubon Braves () are a professional basketball team that is owned by Fubon Sports & Entertainment, LLC., one of the subsidiaries under Fubon Financial Holding Co., Ltd. and currently plays in the Taiwanese P. League+. From 2014 to ...

officially announced that they signed Mayo for the upcoming ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) season.

Liaoning Flying Leopards (2020–2021)

Mayo signed with the

Liaoning Flying Leopards The Liaoning Flying Leopards (), also known as the Liaoning Shenyang Sansheng Flying Leopard Club or Liaoning Bengang (), are a Chinese professional basketball team based in Hunnan District, Shenyang, Liaoning, which plays in the Northern Divisi ...

of the

Chinese Basketball Association The Chinese Basketball Association (), often abbreviated as the CBA, is the first-tier men's professional basketball league in China. The league is commonly known by fans as the CBA, and this acronym is even used in Chinese on a regular basis ...

(CBA) and made his debut in the 2019–20 CBA season on June 23, 2020, scoring 28 points in a 102–106 loss to the Guangzhou Loong Lions. On July 17, 2020, Mayo scored 44 points in a win against

Ty Lawson Tywon Ronell Lawson (born November 3, 1987) is an American professional basketball player who is currently a free agent. He played college basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels where he won the 2009 national championship his junior year. ...

Fujian Sturgeons Fujian SBS Xunxing Sturgeons (Simplified Chinese: 福建SBS浔兴鲟) or Fujian Xunxing or Fujian SBS are a Chinese professional men's basketball team in the Chinese Basketball Association, based in Jinjiang, Quanzhou, Fujian. The "SBS" reflects c ...

, while shooting 8–10 from the three-point line. On July 26, Mayo won the CBA Player of the Month award for the month of July. Over 15 regular season games, Mayo averaged 28.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.5 steals per game, shooting 57% from the field (43.5% from three) in 35.9 minutes of average playing time. On November 13, 2020, Mayo set a new career-high of 48 points in a win against the

Qingdao Eagles The Qingdao Guoxin Haitian Eagle Club, also known as Qingdao Daily Fresh or Qingdao Eagles are a Chinese professional basketball team which is based in Qingdao, Shandong. The club plays in the North Division of the Chinese Basketball Association ...

. He also had 8 rebounds and 6 assists.

UNICS (2021–2022)

On September 20, 2021, Mayo signed a one-year contract with the Russian team

UNICS Kazan BC UNICS () is a professional basketball club in Kazan, Russia, that plays in the VTB United League, and formerly played in the EuroLeague. On February 28, 2022, EuroLeague Basketball suspended the team because of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukr ...

of the

VTB United League The VTB United League () is an international professional men's club basketball league that was founded in 2009. It is made up of mostly Russian clubs, along with one each from Belarus and Kazakhstan. Since 2013, it is the first tier of Russian ...

. On February 7, 2022, Mayo scored a buzzer-beating game-winner against arch-rivals

CSKA Moscow CSKA Moscow () is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. It was created in 1911 in the Russian Empire on base of OLLS (Skiing Society, founded 1901). Later, during the Soviet Union, Soviet era, it was the central part of the Armed Forces (sports ...

to give UNICS the win after triple overtime. He averaged 7.2 points on 35.4% shooting in nine games.

Zamalek (2022–2024)

In December 2022, Mayo joined the Egyptian club

Zamalek Zamalek ( , ''al zamalek'') is a ''qism'' (ward) within the West District (''hayy gharb'') in the Western Area of Cairo, Egypt. It is an affluent district on a man-made island which is geologically a part of the west bank of the Nile River, wit ...

of the

National team career

Mayo was a part of the Select Team that helped get the U.S. national team ready for the

in Beijing.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Mem ...

, style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , 38.0 , , .438 , , .384 , , .879 , , 3.8 , , 3.2 , , 1.1 , , .2 , , 18.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , 38.0 , , .458 , , .383 , , .809 , , 3.8 , , 3.0 , , 1.2 , , .2 , , 17.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 71 , , 17 , , 26.3 , , .407 , , .364 , , .756 , , 2.4 , , 2.0 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , 11.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, style="background:#cfecec;", 66* , , 0 , , 26.8 , , .408 , , .364 , , .773 , , 3.2 , , 2.6 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , 12.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

, style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , 35.5 , , .449 , , .407 , , .820 , , 3.5 , , 4.4 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , 15.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, 52 , , 23 , , 25.9 , , .407 , , .370 , , .864 , , 2.4 , , 2.2 , , .5 , , .3 , , 11.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 71 , , 15 , , 23.9 , , .422 , , .357 , , .827 , , 2.6 , , 2.8 , , .8 , , .3 , , 11.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 41 , , 24 , , 26.6 , , .371 , , .321 , , .775 , , 2.6 , , 2.9 , , 1.2 , , .2 , , 7.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 547 , , 325 , , 30.9 , , .429 , , .373 , , .820 , , 3.1 , , 2.9 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , 13.8

Playoffs

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2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

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, 13 , , 2 , , 27.8 , , .388 , , .408 , , .793 , , 3.2 , , 2.4 , , .8 , , .3 , , 11.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

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, 7 , , 0 , , 23.3 , , .274 , , .292 , , .778 , , 3.6 , , 2.1 , , 1.3 , , .1 , , 8.9 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

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, 6 , , 0 , , 26.0 , , .333 , , .316 , , 1.000 , , 3.3 , , 3.0 , , 1.2 , , .2 , , 9.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 26 , , 2 , , 26.2 , , .348 , , .359 , , .824 , , 3.3 , , 2.5 , , 1.0 , , .2 , , 10.1

College

, - , align="left" , 2007–08 , align="left" ,

, 33 , , 32 , , 36.8 , , .442 , , .409 , , .803 , , 4.5 , , 3.3 , , 1.5 , , 0.4 , , 20.7

Others

, - , style="text-align:left" , 2018–2019 , style="text-align:left" , SBL- Dacin , 33 , , 33 , , 28 , , .433 , , .368 , , .814 , , 7.3 , , 4.3 , , 1.6 , , 0.2 , , 22.6

Personal life

Mayo's brother, Todd, played basketball for the Marquette Golden Eagles. He was selected by the

Westchester Knicks The Westchester Knicks are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in White Plains, New York, and are affiliated with the New York Knicks. The Knicks play their home games at Westchester County Center in White Plains, N ...

in the 2014 NBA Development League Draft and played for them until being waived on January 28, 2015.

Legal issues

On March 9, 2007, Mayo and three other men were cited by the Cabell County Sheriff's Department for misdemeanor simple possession of marijuana. Officers found the cannabis in a car in which Mayo was a passenger and, since no one claimed possession, all occupants were ticketed. Charges against Mayo were dropped on March 12, 2007, after one of the other passengers in the vehicle took responsibility for the marijuana.

References

External links

USC bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mayo, O. J. 1987 births Living people 21st-century African-American sportsmen American expatriate basketball people in China American expatriate basketball people in Egypt American expatriate basketball people in Taiwan American men's basketball players American sportspeople in doping cases ASEAN Basketball League players Atléticos de San Germán players Basketball players from Kentucky Basketball players from West Virginia Dacin Tigers players Dallas Mavericks players Doping cases in basketball Hunan Changsha Yongsheng players Huntington High School (West Virginia) alumni Liaoning Flying Leopards players McDonald's High School All-Americans Memphis Grizzlies players Milwaukee Bucks players Minnesota Timberwolves draft picks NBA players banned for drug offenses Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) People from North College Hill, Ohio Shooting guards Sportspeople from Ashland, Kentucky Sportspeople from Huntington, West Virginia Super Basketball League imports USC Trojans men's basketball players Taipei Fubon Braves players Zamalek SC basketball players

High school career

Awards and honors

College career

Improper benefits and rules violation

Professional career

Memphis Grizzlies (2008–2012)

Dallas Mavericks (2012–2013)

Milwaukee Bucks (2013–2016)

Atléticos de San Germán (2018)

Dacin Tigers (2018–2019)

Hunan Jinjian Rice Industry (2019)

Taipei Fubon Braves (2019–2020)

Liaoning Flying Leopards (2020–2021)

UNICS (2021–2022)

Zamalek (2022–2024)

National team career

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

Playoffs

College

Others

Personal life

Legal issues

See also

References

External links