It's been a little over a year since O.J. Mayo was banned from the NBA for a drug violation, and with his eligibility returning in 2018, the West Virginia native is eager to get back on the court. Ideally, it will be with his last team, the Milwaukee Bucks.
"I want to go back to what I left [in Milwaukee]," the 29-year-old told The Crossover. "I was real close with [coach] Jason Kidd...I had great relationships with Giannis [Antetokounmpo] and Khris Middleton. I was comfortable there. I felt like I let them down, cheated them for two years. They paid me $8 million to be, in my eyes, a subpar player. They invested millions of dollars for me to be on top of my s**t, and when you're not on top of your s**t, it shows. I'll be 30 next summer. If they just give me the chance, I can make it up. I owe them."
Mayo was banned from the league in July 2016 over drugs. During the interview, he admitted to testing positive for marijuana and a prescription pain medication. Owning up to his mistakes, the shooting guard says he's rudderless without his basketball career.
"Taking the game away is probably the closest thing to jail that I'll get to," Mayo said. "Since I was like 6 or 7, I've always had a basketball season. That was the lowest point in my entire life--the shell shock of not being in the NBA. All my peers are playing and I'm not because of boneheaded mistakes. Take the ball away, what is there to do?"
Source: cassiuslife.com
