Seven-time All-Star forward Michael Takahashi will leave the Yokohama Giga Cats men's basketball club, manager Mototaka Kohama said Monday.
Takahashi, who joined his Yokohama teammates for practice this month, agreed to have his name officially removed from the roster after failing to reach an accord with the manager regarding the future of the newly formed club.
After the suspension of activities of the six-time national basketball champion Isuzu Giga Cats in late March, Takahashi became a registered player of the Yokohama club but opted not to play there as he shifted his base of operations to the United States.
The 28-year-old was, however, allowed a spot on the national team at the Asian Games in South Korea in October when he agreed to an exclusive deal with the Japan Basketball Association.
Takahashi, whose father is American and mother is Japanese, became a Japanese citizen at the age of 20.