Former All-Rookie NBA Guard Used to Hustle Rec Players for Extra Cash

Was he not getting compensated enough for his day job?

December 29, 2010; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings point guard Tyreke Evans (right) drives to the basket against Memphis Grizzlies shooting guard O.J. Mayo (32) during the first quarter at ARCO Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Longtime NBA shooting guard O.J. Mayo was, in his prime, one of the league's top point-of-attack scorers. In a high-flying 2008-09 rookie draft class that also included eventual All-Stars Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook, the 6-foot-5 USC product emerged quickly as a ready-made starter and major scorer during his early seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies.

During his rookie season, Mayo actually notched his best scoring output ever, averaging 18.5 points on .438/.384/.879 shooting splits, 3.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.1 steals a night across 82 regular season games for the 25-68 Grizzlies.

Apparently, during his final years with the Milwaukee Bucks as a reserve, Mayo developed a side hustle for a little extra cash: hustling players at neighborhood gyms while on the road.

Former Bucks back-up point guard Michael Carter-Williams explained Mayo's method on a recent episode of FanDuel TV's "Run It Back" show.

. @mcarterwilliams witnessed O.J. Mayo run up $50K in Chicago like it was nothing…

and then leave a duffel bag, full of cash, on the team bus like there was nothing in it 🤑 pic.twitter.com/lR8LENosfJ

— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) November 20, 2024

Mayo would suit up to head into a visiting city during an off period — Carter-Williams cites a Chicago road trip as an example.

“I’m about to go just shoot for some bread,” Mayo would explain.

Mayo would return armed with a duffle bag containing $50,000, per Williams.

“I’m like, ‘Yo, you won all that just off…just shots at the gym?’ He’s like, ‘Yeah, we’re all just in there,’” Williams said.

That said, Williams apparently didn't care much about his winnings. He ditched the duffle bag — containing, again $50,000 — on the team bus when the Bucks took off for a practice (though they would ultimately return ahead of the game, of course). “But that’s OJ,” Williams joked.

Across an eight-year NBA career for the Grizzlies, Dallas Mavericks and Milwaukee Bucks, Mayo posted career averages of 13.8 points on .429/.373/.820 shooting splits, 3.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.0 steals.

Mayo was ultimately banned from the NBA for two seasons due to a violation of the league's drug policies. Though eligible to be reinstated for 2018-19, he has yet to return.

Instead, Mayo has traveled the world, suiting up for Puerto Rican club Atléticos de San Germán, Taiwanese squads the Dacin Tigers and the Taipei Fubon Braves, Chinese clubs Hunan Jinjian Rice Industry and the Liaoning Flying Leopards, and Russian team UNICS Kazan. He has been with Egyptian team Zamalek since December of 2022.

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