NBA Rumors: Mayo Joins List Of Players Headed To Chinese League

NBA veteran OJ Mayo will be heading over to China to suit up with the Liaoning Flying Leopards. He appends the list of multiple foreign talents suiting up in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) although he will have to undergo the 14-day quarantine set by the country.

According to CGTN.com, the Flying Leopards have signed the 32-year-old guard for the rest of the season. But the big question now is when the CBA season will resume. Originally set to restart on Apr. 14, the CBA was forced to push back the opening due to the coronavirus pandemic. It remains to be seen if the league can resume play by May.

Mayo has been trotting the globe playing overseas. He has suited up in Puerto Rico, Taiwan and a team in China's second division, NBC Sports reported. He last suited up for the Milwaukee Bucks in 2016 before he was meted banned for a drug violation. The third overall pick of the 2008 NBA Draft was eligible for reinstatement by the 2018-19 NBA season but no team considered him.

In his last year with the Bucks, Mayo played in41 games and averaged 7.8 points, 2.9 assists, and 2.2 rebounds. He holds career averages of 13.8 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.9 assists. By joining the Flying Leopards, Mayo may be suiting up alongside Lance Stephenson and Brandon Bass. Both players have yet to return to China following the COVID-19 outbreak.

In a previous post, it was mentioned how the CBA had issued a memorandum to recall all foreign players with the league slated to resume on Apr. 14. Before Mayo, there were already over 40 players seeing action in the CBA. That included Jeremy Lin and Ty Lawson. With the CBA resumption pushed back, there is no word on who have already made their way back to China.

For Mayo, the opportunity could be a chance for him to show that he can still play and possibly return to the NBA next offseason. Aside from the Bucks, Mayo also played for the Memphis Grizzlies and the Dallas Mavericks.