P.League+ (PLG) two-time regular-season Most Valuable Player Yang Chin-min late on Sunday hinted that he was considering retiring following an online forum post by a fan who claimed his ex-girlfriend had an affair with the New Taipei Kings shooting guard.
In a Dcard post on Friday evening, the fan, who claimed to be a Kings supporter, said he was shocked to learn that his then-girlfriend had an affair with Yang in mid-March, providing screenshots of their alleged exchanges on Instagram.
The fan said he waited to reveal the incident until the offseason.
Photo: CNA
While many online commenters debated the veracity of the claims, others posted images of Yang allegedly flirting with female fans.
At about 11pm on Sunday, Yang confirmed the fan’s claims in a post on Instagram.
Yang, who is married with two children, apologized to his family, the league, the Kings and the Taiwan Professional Basketball Association, adding that he had stepped down as head of the association.
“The only thing I can do now is to give up everything, start over and spend more time with the family I hurt... From now on, I have to bid farewell to my fans, I will leave the court and the leadership of the association and focus on my family,” he said.
“Sorry, I was wrong. I will miss you, basketball,” he added.
In Facebook and Instagram posts on Sunday evening, the Kings thanked Yang for his contributions to the franchise over the past two years.
The team said that family values are of central importance to the organization, and after talks with Yang, they mutually agreed that he would leave the club.
Yang’s post is being considered as an announcement that he intends to retire from the sport, although he did not say so directly.
The 39-year-old was arguably the best local player in the league’s most recent season, despite his age. He averaged 14.8 points per game in the regular season, the second-most by a local player, and maintained that level in the playoffs, accounting for 15 percent of the Kings’ scoring.
Yang was expected to chase a big contract as he became a free agent in the offseason.
For the Kings, the loss of Yang would exacerbate the team’s lack of depth, league broadcaster Ryan Chen said on Monday.
Although Yang’s departure would open up salary space for the Kings to pursue other players, that would be difficult as “high-level talent likes to play with other top talent,” which could hinder New Taipei City’s efforts to recruit star players, Chen said.
As a member of Taiwanese basketball’s “golden generation,” the scandal could take a heavy toll on the popular three-year-old league. The news has already eclipsed draft pick announcements and major trade reports.
League CEO Blackie Chen (陳建州) weighed in on the matter in an interview with ETtoday.
“Players must take responsibility for their own behavior and cherish the PLG stage that many people have worked so hard to build,” he was quoted as saying.
Manchester United on Tuesday confirmed Michael Carrick as interim manager until the end of the season, tasking him with leading the Red Devils back into the UEFA Champions League. “Having the responsibility to lead Manchester United is an honor,” said Carrick, 44, who won 12 major trophies in his 12-year playing career at United. The former midfielder previously had an unbeaten three-game stint as caretaker boss at Old Trafford in 2021. Carrick then took on his first permanent managerial role at second-tier Middlesbrough in October 2022 and was sacked in June last year after the club finished 10th in the
MARRED FINAL: As most of Senegalese players walked off the pitch after a controversial decision, some supporters threw objects and attempted to get onto the pitch Senegal on Sunday won the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) as Pape Gueye’s extra-time winner sunk hosts Morocco 1-0 after a chaotic final that saw the eventual champions storm off the pitch late in the game. Brahim Diaz could have won the trophy for Morocco with a controversial spot-kick in the 24th minute of added time at the end of normal time as ugly scenes broke out in the stands. However, Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy easily saved the weak attempted “Panenka” chip by the Real Madrid winger, who was clearly distracted by the long delay that followed the penalty award.
James Harden on Friday scored 31 points and came up big in overtime to help the Los Angeles Clippers erase a double-digit deficit on the way to a 121-117 NBA victory over the Toronto Raptors. Harden scored 16 points in the fourth quarter and overtime as the Clippers pushed their wining steak to five games despite the absence of star Kawhi Leonard with a sprained right ankle. The Clippers trailed by 11 entering the fourth quarter, but Harden drilled a pair of free-throws with 1:24 left in regulation to tie it and after misses from both teams, they went to
Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg on Wednesday was ruled out for the second half of their 118-109 loss to the Denver Nuggets after the No. 1 pick sprained his left ankle in the first half. Flagg was called for a foul while defending against Peyton Watson and turned the ankle as he fell to the floor with 6 minutes, 1 second left in the second quarter. Flagg limped to the bench and continued to the locker room, but returned for the final 2 minutes, 35 seconds before the break. The 19-year-old did not come out for the second half before the announcement that
RSS