Men's basketball player Yuta Watanabe (Grizzlies) announced on the 20th in a live broadcast on his Instagram that he will retire from the NBA at the end of this season and play in Japan next season. When asked why, he said, "Simply put, I just want to play basketball. I want to play in games," and, "In my 20s, I set a goal to stick to America no matter how unfair or difficult it was. I'll be 30 this year. From now on, I'll play the basketball I want to play."

He was traded from the Suns, where he signed a two-year contract this season, to his former team, the Grizzlies, in February of this year. He played 25 minutes as a substitute in his return game, but two days later, before the next game, he was called by the coach five minutes before the meeting and told, "Yuta, you won't be playing in this game."

"That one comment had a huge impact on me. I wondered if I could have done enough in the previous game, and I was enjoying playing basketball. I was excited and fired up to do my best in the next game, so it was the first time I'd been really taken aback, and I found it really tough."

When he returned to the hotel, the emotions he had been holding back came pouring out, and he said, "It's embarrassing to say, but I cried so hard I was shocked, even at myself. It was so bad I felt like all the water in my body had gone."

After he finished crying and felt refreshed, he revealed that he decided to return to Japan, saying, "I really love basketball, and I've had plenty of fun in my 20s, so I thought maybe I should play in an environment where I can really enjoy it."

After that, even though he was able to practice, he developed a mysterious symptom where he couldn't put any strength into his playing time on the court, and he will be sidelined until the end of the season. During that time, he said that the Grizzlies' coaches and staff provided him with dedicated support, saying, "I'm just grateful to the Grizzlies. They continued to support me well even after that. I wasn't shocked (when they told me I wouldn't be playing today) because it wasn't the coach's fault; it was just a trigger for everything that had happened up until now. I think I hit my limit much earlier. I was determined not to run away from my 20s. Although it ended like this, I feel like I was able to keep running towards my dream until the very end. I don't have a single regret. I feel refreshed even though the season is over."