Memphis, July 8, 2008 – The Memphis Grizzlies signed 2008 first-round draft choices O.J. Mayo and Darrell Arthur to multi-year contracts, Grizzlies General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today. Per team policy, terms of the deals were not disclosed.
Mayo, a 6-5, 200-pound guard, averaged 20.7 points, 3.3 assists and 1.6 steals per game as a freshman at USC and was a finalist for the Naismith and Wooden Awards. Selected third overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves, Mayo’s draft rights were sent to Memphis as part of an eight-player draft-night trade.
A native of Huntington, W.Va., Mayo was the 2007 EA Sports National High School Boys player of the Year and was named to the McDonald’s, Parade Magazine and USA Today All-America teams as a high school senior at Huntington High School.
Arthur, a 6-9, 225-pound forward, was originally selected by the New Orleans Hornets with the 27th pick before being traded to Portland Trail Blazers and Houston Rockets in separate draft night deals. The Grizzlies acquired his rights from the Rockets in exchange for Donte Greene (28th) and a 2009 second-round pick.
The Dallas native averaged 12.8 points and 6.3 rebounds per game as a sophomore for the national champion Kansas Jayhawks, and recorded a double-double (20 points, 10 rebounds) in the NCAA title game win over the University of Memphis.
Mayo and Arthur will both be participating with the Grizzlies entry in the 2008 NBA Summer League presented by EA Sports from July 11-16.