Former NBA All-Star Steve Francis left the Beijing Ducks Monday, ending the troubled guard's brief stint in China's professional basketball league, state press reported.
Francis told the club he was willing to leave after walking out at half-time during Beijing's 104-89 win over the Jiangsu Dragons Sunday and missed Christmas Day practice, Xinhua news agency said, citing club assistant manager Yuan Chao.
"I talked to Francis in the morning about his leaving during the match and his absence from the training session. I told him, on behalf of the club and the team, that we wanted him to leave," Xinhua quoted Yuan as saying.
"He didn't give me the decision during the meeting, but he appeared on the court during afternoon training and said he is ready to leave."
Yuan earlier told AFP that the team and Francis were in discussions over his departure.
In about two weeks with the Ducks, Francis -- a three-time NBA All-Star and former teammate of star Chinese centre Yao Ming -- played in four games, averaging 0.5 points and 0.7 rebounds in about three minutes per match.
During that time, Beijing won six games and lost one, in one of its best-ever starts to a CBA season.
Francis reportedly signed an 800,000-dollar contract to play with Beijing for the 32-game season, but according to state press reports he was out of shape and unable to contribute to the team in a meaningful way.
Earlier this month, the league slapped him with a "serious warning" for an indecent gesture he made as he sat on the bench during Beijing's 80-78 win over reigning league champions Guangdong Tigers.
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