What happened to banned NBA star O.J. Mayo?

Once upon a time, O.J. Mayo seemed like he was destined to become an NBA star. He had the prototypical body, skill set and athleticism to make a name for himself. While he was a decent player in the league, Mayo never quite reached those lofty heights. His NBA career was cut short as he was banned by the league in 2016 for violating its Anti-Doping Protocol. All statistics are sourced from Basketball Reference.

Ovinton J’Anthony Mayo was born in Huntington, West Virginia in 1987. As it turns out, his father was a high school basketball star in his own right, but Kenny Ziegler spent much of Mayo’s life in and out of prison according to ESPN. This left Mayo in a difficult spot, but he had the bloodlines to do something special athletically.

Despite obvious ability to become a prodigy, Mayo often found himself in trouble. Being cited for marijuana possession and other infractions(according to Bleacher Report) drove Mayo to play for three different high schools across the United States. Even though there were questions about Mayo’s judgment, programs were still willing to take a chance on the gifted prospect.

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Mayo was an attendee of Michael Jordan’s Flight school basketball camp in high school, and was given the opportunity to play His Airness one on one. Reports from YardBarker and others indicate that Jordan dominated Mayo after the youngster got off to a promising start, but it was an experience that helped enhance Mayo’s burgeoning persona.

The theme of Mayo’s life continued during his one season in college with the USC Trojans. On the floor, the guard’s talent was on full display, averaging over 20 points and four rebounds per game. Off the floor, there was a lot of scrutiny about how Mayo ended up with USC. The basketball program self-imposed punishments after the 2008 season regarding his recruitment.

Mayo was taken with the third overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Memphis Grizzlies. The franchise gave him the keys to the car right away, and he put up some impressive scoring numbers in his first two seasons.

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However, those campaigns didn’t translate to many wins. Memphis brought Mayo off the bench the next two years, and it helped them move up the standings.

The former lottery pick once again got a chance to start in Dallas, and not surprisingly, he put up solid numbers. The Mavericks were a .500 team during Mayo’s one season with the team, so the narrative that he couldn’t be a lynchpin for a winning ballclub still persisted. That perception followed him into free agency.

Mayo’s next NBA stop would be in Milwaukee, where he would spend three seasons. He was a rotational player for the Bucks, but his role would fluctuate from night to night, especially in 2015-2016.

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Mayo would voice his frustration with the situation, complaining that it was hard to prepare with so much uncertainty according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Shockingly, Mayo’s NBA career would end in July 2016. The league released a press release banning him from the league for violating the terms of the Anti-Drug Program.

Mayo would deny using hard drugs, but did admit to abusing a pain medication that is on the NBA’s list of prohibited substances, according to Sports Illustrated.

The NBA stated that Mayo would be allowed to apply for reinstatement after two years away from the game, but that redemption tour never did come to fruition. Mayo has said that the ruling hit him like a gut punch according to Sports Illustrated, as basketball has been the consistent light of his life despite turmoil away from the court.

Mayo has continued his basketball career outside of the United States as he builds his life back. He played for the Dacin Tigers in Taiwan in 2018, and Hunan Jinjian’s basketball club in China in 2019.

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Mayo agreed to play in the Continental Basketball Association in 2020. Still only in his mid-thirties, it’s possible Mayo plays basketball professionally for a couple more years.

Mayo told the San Diego Union-Tribune in December 2023 that he definitely had an altercation on the team plane with former Memphis Grizzlies teammate Tony Allen back in 2011. The two got into a physical confrontation after the players reportedly argued over a 7,500 debt owed to Allen by Mayo.