The OJ Mayo Story

In the current issue of ESPN the Mag, there is an article which contends that OJ Mayo is misunderstood. I agree. I think the Lakers' tickets fiasco should have been a non-story. I, however, found the article ironic, as few articles I have written received as much criticism online and via email than did my article about the OJ Mayo saga when he was in high school.

Many felt my article slammed Mayo, much like when Mike Wilbon called him a punk on PTI last year. However, that was not my intention. Instead, I saw Mayo as an example of the problems with the youth development system, from the exposure to the celebrity to the shoe companies to the street agents.

In the article, I felt I portrayed Mayo more as a victim of circumstances and outside influences, as opposed to slamming him, as some reader contended. In fact, the only person I criticized was a Nike rep who said his allegiance was to Nike, rather than to the kids he coached.

I see the OJ Mayo story as a story of caution and an example of what we should try to avoid in youth basketball development. Not because Mayo is a bad kid or a bad player, but because he is misunderstood; because so many people have such a negative opinion of a freshman in college; because so many people know so much about a freshman in college; because he basically grew up in the national spotlight; because he has dealt with runners and shoe companies for nearly half his life.

Who knows how the Mayo story ends? He'll likely be a high NBA draft pick this year. The comparisons to Wade are lofty but he offers similar skills, though I do not think he will have the immediate impact of Wade. It will be interesting to see if Reebok signs him to an endorsement contract after spending so much time and money on his programs when he was in high school. He seems like a bright kid with a good future, but it also seems like his high school experience is a microcosm of what we should hope to avoid in the youth basketball development system. Maybe that's why he is misunderstood and why his story is a lightening rod for discussion.