A former member of the Milwaukee Bucks has reportedly found himself a new home in the basketball world.
According to EuroHoops.net, O.J. Mayo will be signing a one-year deal with UNICS Kazan, a club based in Russia. The guard had spent the previous three seasons playing overseas in Puerto Rico, Taiwan, and China, making Russia that latest stop on his list. Mayo has earned quite a reputation playing overseas since his rocky departure from the NBA, having racked up a big handful of awards and honors for his efforts. While most Bucks fans may have forgotten about Mayo, it is welcoming to see that a former Buck is still playing basketball.
O.J. Mayo’s NBA career and tenure with the Milwaukee Bucks will be brought up following this news
Mayo was selected third overall in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves but never played for the franchise as he was soon traded to the Memphis Grizzlies. He would play four years in Memphis before joining the Dallas Mavericks for one season. After that, the guard would begin a three-year journey with the Bucks after signing with the team in the 2013 offseason.
During his three years in Milwaukee from 2013-16, Mayo carved out a role for himself by being a spark off the bench. Having averaged 10.6 points on .406/.353/.831 shooting splits, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.6 assists in 25.2 minutes per game. Mayo appeared in 162 regular season games with the team, having made 62 starts. He was a key piece for those youthful Milwaukee teams that were looking to crawl out of the darkness and return to relevancy with a young Giannis Antetokounmpo and rapidly improving Khris Middleton at the helm.
Unfortunately, Mayo’s tenure with the Bucks and the NBA would come to an end after he tested positive for violating the league’s established anti-drug program. That called for him to be banned for two seasons, which prompted Mayo to eventually continue his playing career overseas and bring him to where he is now. While he just signed to another team overseas, Mayo is eligible to attempt a return if he desired, but who knows if that will ever come to fruition.
We have seen a slew of former Bucks look to make comebacks over the past few months, with Brandon Knight pleading his case to make a roster and former big man Johnny O’Bryant even getting a look from the team at a recent workout. It would not come as much of a surprise if some rumor popped up saying that Mayo had some interest in a potential return, but that is only speculation. He seems to have found solace in playing for these teams overseas, and hopefully this next stop is kind to him as well. At 33-years-old, the eight-year NBA veteran still has plenty left to give on the court, and time will tell how this next chapter for him unfolds and where this opportunity could lead down the road.
His time with the Bucks may have been cut short, but Mayo left his mark on the franchise.