Former NBA guard O.J. Mayo signs with unexpected team

O.J. Mayo is continuing his basketball career … about seven time zones away.

Arab outlet Kooora reports this week that the ex-NBA guard has agreed to sign with Egyptian pro team Zamalek SC for the coming season. 

Mayo is scheduled to arrive in Cairo in the coming days, the report adds.

Now 35, Mayo was once one of the top high school prospects in the country and even had a memorable viral moment with Michael Jordan. 

After a brief career at USC, Mayo went No. 3 overall to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2008 NBA Draft (and was promptly traded to the Memphis Grizzlies). He played eight NBA seasons and averaged 13.8 career points per game.

But Mayo’s NBA career came to an end in 2016 when he was dismissed and disqualified from the league for violating the NBA anti-drug program. 

While he became eligible for reinstatement roughly two years later, Mayo never played another minute in the NBA.

Mayo has since made the rounds overseas, playing professionally in Puerto Rico, Taiwan, China, and Russia. 

Even so, his latest move is a surprising one as Egypt is a seldom-seen destination for former NBA players. Nevertheless, it is good to see Mayo still going strong on the hardwood into his mid-30s.