Former Milwaukee Bucks basketball player O.J. Mayo has been “dismissed and disqualified” from the NBA after violating its Anti-Drug Program, the league announced on Friday.
The 28-year-old free-agent guard (above right), who played college basketball for the USC Trojans while earning first-team All-Pac-10 honors, is eligible to apply for reinstatement in two years.
Citing a league announcement, Marc J. Spears of ESPN’s the Undefeated was the first to report Mayo’s dismissal. Adrian Wojnarowski of the Vertical added that the veteran is eligible to apply for reinstatement in two years.
Per NBA rules, the league, its teams and the Players Association aren’t allowed to publicly disclose information regarding the Anti-Drug Program, other than to announce a player’s suspension or league dismissal, USAToday reported.
However, the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement lists the following “drugs of abuse” as prohibited substances: amphetamines and its analogs, cocaine, LSD, opiates (heroin, codeine and morphine) and PCP.
The length of the dismissal and disqualification is a mandatory two years, and “may not be rescinded or reduced by the player’s team or NBA,” accordin
However, according to the CBA, reinstatement isn’t guaranteed, and “shall be granted only with the prior approval of both the NBA and the Players Association, which shall not be unreasonably withheld. The approval of the NBA and the Players Association shall rest in their absolute and sole discretion, and their decision shall be final, binding, and unappealable.”
Born in Huntington, West Virginia, Mayo went to high school in Kentucky before before heading to Los Angeles and the University of Southern California in the summer of 2007. While waiting for the season to begin, he played pickup basketball against NBA players such as Kobe Bryant, Sam Cassell, Kevin Garnett, Jason Kidd and J. J. Redick.
Mayo was selected with the third overall pick in the first round of the 2008 draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves and has career averages of 13.8 points and 2.9 assists.
He spent the past three seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks and averaged 7.8 points and 2.9 assists in 41 games last season.