O.J. Mayo disqualified for violating NBA Anti-Drug Program

John Buhler

Feb 24, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard O.J. Mayo (00) passes the ball during the second quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Former 2008 NBA Lottery pick and former Milwaukee Bucks wing O.J. Mayo has been disqualified by the NBA for violating the league’s anti-drug program.

According to ESPN’s Marc J. Spears, “NBA announced free agent O.J. Mayo has been dismissed & disqualified from the NBA for violating terms of the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program.”

NBA announced free agent O.J. Mayo has been dismissed & disqualified from the NBA for violating terms of the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program.
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) July 1, 2016

Mayo’s NBA career has likely come to an end on July 1st after failing to live up to the hype of being the No. 3 overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2008 NBA Draft out of USC.

He was selected one spot ahead of Russell Westbrook who went No. 4 to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Mayo was subsequently traded to the Memphis Grizzlies for No. 5 overall pick Kevin Love of the arch rival UCLA Bruins in one of the most lopsided draft day trades in recent memory.

Mayo spent his eight-year NBA career with three different teams: Memphis (2008-12), the Dallas Mavericks (2012-13), and most recently the Milwaukee Bucks (2013-16). While he’s not banned for life, as Inside Hoops announced that he can apply for reinstatement in two years, the former lottery pick is now out of the NBA.

In his eight-year NBA career (2008-16), Mayo averaged 14.3 points per game, 3.2 rebounds per game, and 2.9 assists per game, starting in 301 of his 506 career games between three franchises. Only three times did he play on a playoff team: the 2010-11 Grizzlies, the 2011-12 Grizzlies, and the 2014-15 Bucks.

Mayo’s career is largely criticized for failing to live up to McDonald’s All-American hype he garnered coming out of high school and the two All-NBA players that went immediately after him the 2008 NBA Draft in Westbrook and Love. This edict from the NBA means that Milwaukee has to really solidify its wing depth, as Mayo can’t return to the NBA until 2018-19 season.

For more NBA free agency news, please check out our NBA free agency category page.

John Buhler

John Buhler is a FanSided NCAA staff writer. He specializes in covering college football and the NFL on a national level, as well as his hometown Atlanta Braves. Nearly a decade into his writing career at FanSided, he has also written about MLB, NBA, golf, tennis and the Olympics. Buhler is a University of Georgia graduate (2012), but he spent most of his time in Athens enjoying the finer things in life than studying business management. He co-hosts the national college football podcast False Start with his FanSided colleague Cody Williams, and hosts The Blogging Dirty Podcast to hype up his beloved hometown Atlanta Falcons. In his spare time, Buhler loves singing karaoke and dominating in bar trivia.