Word Count: 556 Date: Tue, 9 Dec 2008 4:29 AM
OJ Mayo - Is He The Next NBA Superstar?
OJ Mayo is a 21 year old professional basketball player currently playing with the Memphis Grizzlies. He chose a career in the NBA over completing college, where he had been playing basketball for the University of Southern California. According to sports reports, he shows promise as a rising young star in the NBA.
OJ Mayo was born in Huntington, West Virginia where he playing high school basketball at Huntington High School. It was here where he was noticed by scouts and thought to be one of the best young basketball players in the United States. He began playing for the University of Southern California but decided on pursuing a career in the NBA after his first year at college. He chose to go with an agency to represent him, which automatically disqualified him for college basketball.
Originally signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves, OJ Mayo did not make a huge impact on the game, despite being third draft pick. He was recently traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Kevin Love.
The NBA is not like college basketball as OJ Mayo is up against some tough competition in this sport. Most of the NBA players have completed college basketball and are older and have more experience at the game than this young player. However, he has been holding his own. He is scoring about 10 points per game, which is not bad considering that he is only getting about 30 minutes of playing time each game. Still, he is far from outshining the many superstars in the NBA.
Being only 21 years old, however, does have its advantages for this rising young star. OJ Mayo has plenty of time to continue to learn the plays of the NBA and gain addition skills that he will need to rise above the rest. He was not the number 3 draft pick by the NBA for nothing - he has shown promise on the court, especially during this days at University of Southern California.
OJ Mayo has encountered criticism of those who think that he should have waited until he finished college to join the NBA and begin playing on a professional level. However, when you consider that he only completed one year of college basketball, it makes his jump into the NBA even more impressive. He has pretty much gone from playing high school basketball to professional basketball in one year - quite a feat, considering that he is up against players who are earning multi-million dollar contracts and have been playing the game for quite some time.
Like most young players of every sport, OJ Mayo must learn to pay his dues to the sport and learn everything that he can before he becomes a true basketball superstar. Many feel that stardom is in his future as his skills on the court have been impressive, despite being outshone by more experienced athletes.
You may be reading about OJ Mayo in years to come as a young man who decided, at the age of 20, to take a chance on his future and on the advantage of his youth and start playing the game with the big boys. He has many years ahead of him in the NBA in which to really make his mark in the sport.
About the Author
Ron Subs is a public relations specialist and author. To find out more go to http://www.ojmayo.com
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