Perth Wildcats legend Bryce Cotton has left the club.

The hits keep coming from the coronavirus pandemic and the latest one has hit the Perth Wildcats hard as Bryce Cotton has announced he will be opting out of his last year.

NBL’s recent decision to impose pay cuts across the league in response to the coronavirus pandemic has taken it’s toll on the leagues best player – forcing Cotton to walk out on the Perth Wildcats and seek further opportunities else where.

Cotton’s 20/21 salary was reported to pay him more than $200,000 per season, however, the NBL player salary cut meant he would have taken a 50 percent cut next year.

“I truly want to thank you guys from the bottom of my heart for showing me so much love and support in my three-and-a-half seasons with the Wildcats. I can’t put into words what it has meant to me,” he told fans.

Twitter: NBL and Perth Wildcats announce Bryce Cotton’s departure.

While Australia is one of the countries handling the coronavirus pandemic the best, despite the NBL imposed salary cuts, opportunities to join other leagues around the world would no doubt be in similar situations we uncertainty as to when national sporting codes will start up again and more importantly if/when fans will be allowed to games.

By the numbers

Bryce Cotton will go down as one of if not the number one all-time Perth Wildcats greats.

Just how great was Bryce?

In his three-and-a-half years, he helped Perth win 3 championships.

MVP trophies aplenty being named grand final MVP twice in the process and season MVPs in 2018 and 2020 – though many believed he was robbed in 2019, even the winner Andrew Bogut agreed Bryce was the MVP.

Career NBL stat line: 20.6 PPG, 3.4 RB, 3.3 AST and 1.3 STL per game.

Bryce will leave a massive hole in the Perth Wildcats lineup and one that quite possibly won’t be able to be replaced.

Feature image: @PerthWildcats