Five-time NBL MVP and three-time champion Bryce Cotton has confirmed that he won't be returning to the Perth Wildcats after nine seasons with the franchise.
Cotton -- widely regarded as one of the best players in NBL history -- made the announcement on Instagram on Tuesday morning.
"Perth will always be home, but it's time to say goodbye and see what else God has planned for me and my family," Cotton ended the post with, after offering gratitude to Wildcats fans.
"Man.. to the red army y'all have welcomed me with open arms from the time I first stepped onto Aussie soil till I scored my last basket of the season a few weeks back," Cotton wrote.
"I came at the backend of the season my first year only expecting to be here 6 weeks, and it turned into accomplishing things that no other player has achieved in their first 9 seasons in the history of the league. All glory to God
"Despite that, I had my slumps along the way on the court but you guys never turned your back on me and always showed genuine support. I can never thank you enough for that.
"I can only hope you had half as much joy watching me play as I had playing in front of y'all year after year. Win lose or draw, I gave you, my teammates, and coaches everything I had.. and thank you once again for accepting, the good games, the bad and everything in between."
Cotton leaves the Wildcats as a three-time NBL Champion, five-time MVP, two-time Grand Final MVP, eight-time scoring champion, and was named to eight All-NBL First Teams.
Cotton, 32, is coming off arguably his greatest season in the NBL -- averaging 28.1 points per game over the regular season and playoffs -- and posting a 59-point game in December, which was the most by any player in the NBL's modern 40-minute era.
Cotton's representatives have long been assessing the Japanese market for his next playing opportunity, sources told ESPN.
"We cannot thank Bryce enough for what he's done for our club across the past nine seasons," Wildcats owner Mark Arena said in a statement.
"His achievements at the Wildcats have been nothing short of historic and he will go down as one of the greatest players in our proud history.
"While we're obviously disappointed that Bryce isn't going to continue his career at the Wildcats - and we know our fans will feel the same - we wish him the best for the future and have the utmost respect for what he's achieved with our team.
"We will always welcome Bryce, his wife Rachel and daughter with open arms whenever they are back in Perth, and they will always be a part of the Wildcats family."
A return to the NBL in the immediate future is unlikely for Cotton, sources said, with Melbourne United -- widely regarded as a team that might express interest in the import guard -- not preparing to pursue him this free agency.
Cotton is currently playing in Puerto Rico, for Mets de Guaynabo.