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.
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