By By Tony Krausz / assistant sports editor
April 2, 2004
After one of the most difficult years of his young life, Mario Austin is returning to the basketball court.
The former Mississippi State University standout, who was twice selected to the All-Southeastern Conference team, will suit up for the Jackson Rage of the World Basketball Association this summer.
The Rage will begin the inaugural season of the WBA on April 30 on the road against Chattanooga, and Austin said he will start practicing with the team on April 10.
The 6-foot-8 forward's journey into pro basketball has started on a bumpy road.
Austin left MSU following his junior season to enter the NBA Draft, thinking he would be a first-round pick.
The York, Ala., native was not taken in the first 32 selections of the draft, and he was picked by the Chicago Bulls with the seventh pick in the second round. While Austin was relieved to be selected by the Bulls in the second round, what followed was anything but a relief.
On the urging of his then-agent Bill Duffy of BDA Sports, Austin traveled to Moscow to look at the option of playing with CSKA, a professional team in Russia.
Austin's current agent and lawyer, Jason Levein of of the Greenberg Traurig law firm, said Austin thought he was just going to Russia for a visit, but he only received a one-way ticket to Moscow.
Austin said he was tricked into a signing a contract with CSKA, and he never wanted to play overseas.
A week after arriving in Moscow, Austin suffered a collapsed lung and had to be hospitalized. During this time, Austin said he tried to contact Duffy, but his phone calls were not returned.
Austin fired his his agent while in the hospital and only then did Duffy contact Austin. Duffy and Austin are currently locked in a lawsuit over the firing.
Duffy claims Austin owes him commission on the contract that was signed with CSKA. The contract gave Austin a base salary of $1.15 million and was worth over $2 million with incentives. Duffy's commission would have been around $125,000.
Austin is suing for fraud and misrepresentation. Austin says Duffy never made him aware that the Bulls were obligated to offer him a player's contract by Sept. 5, 2003, after the NBA Draft, or Austin would be a free agent.
Levein said when he showed Austin the player's contract the Bulls wrote up, Austin said he never saw the contract from the Bulls.
As difficult as the last year has been, Austin said he doesn't regret leaving MSU before his senior season.
Duffy has never stated publicly if he did or did not show Austin the offer from the Bulls, according to Levein.
Bulls general manager John Paxon told Austin he would like the forward to go overseas to start his career and return to the Bulls when a spot becomes available, according to Levein.
Paxon did not explain the player's contract that the team needed Austin to sign or risk him becoming a free agent.
Levein said he is currently talking with the Bulls of Austin possibly returning to the organization, if Austin can get released from his contract with CSKA.
Austin is not allowed to play for an NBA team because the league is part of USA Basketball, and USA Basketball has an agreement with FIBA, the association the Russian club is a part, to not allow players to play for a different team while under contract with a FIBA club.
Austin can play for Jackson because the WBA is not affiliated with USA Basketball.
While the legal matters are still be sorted out, Austin said he is just happy to get back on the basketball court.
The Rage will be coached by Richard Williams, who was the head coach at MSU from 1986-1998 and guided the Bulldogs to the Final Four in 1996.