I’m the opposite of moderate, immaculately polished with the spirit of a hustler and the swagger of a college kid.”
That’s a line from Atlanta’s home-grown rapper T.I. off of the song “Live Your Life,” and that sentence pretty much sums up what rookie phenom O.J. Mayo is right now. He just has IT. He was in town recently to play the Atlanta Hawks as well as to help introduce the marketing agency Eighty81, which is opening up a new office in Atlanta. I caught up with him for a few minutes to get his thoughts on life in the league.
Calandra Coone: What’s life like in the NBA? How is it different from college?
O.J. Mayo: I think it’s all the travel, you know, the climate changes. The travel is really rough going from city to city. You go from a cold city to a warm city and you’ve really just got to make sure you get enough rest.
C.C.: You’re averaging over 20 points per game, so you seem to be adjusting pretty well. Is Rookie of the Year something you’re shooting for?
O.J.: Nah, not really. I’m not really a person who looks for individual goals. I’m more of a team-goals type of person. I’m just looking to help better our team.
C.C.: What was it like for you on draft night being traded from the Timberwolves to the Grizzlies? Did you take that personally?
O.J.: Well, it just let me know that the NBA is definitely a business. I didn’t know I got traded until I saw it on TV. So it just let me know that it’s a business and I have to maintain, be a professional and stay strong.
C.C.: Are you going to be extra-motivated when you face the Timberwolves for the first time?
O.J.: Yeah probably so, haha, probably so.
8 comments:
Great questions, Coco. I also can't wait to see what sort of performance O.J. puts out against the Wolves.
Well Ryne I wish I could have gotten more, but his publicist was sooooooo not having it.
great job, coco -- cool opportunity to sit down with him (no matter how briefly).
Good work Co Co! Ryne O.J. is gonna go off on the Minny.
You shoulda knocked the publicist out! Good stuff CoCo.
I've always liked his game, and it's only a matter of time before he really learns the professional side. Things are looking up for him.
Nice questions, Co Co, no matter how succinct. Was he the first NBAer that you've met?
Nah Moose he's not the first NBA player I've met, he's the first one I interviewed though.
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