Former NBA player Delonte West was officially released from the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) after playing just four games with the Shanghai Sharks. 

West averaged an impressive 23.7 points and 5.6 rebounds per game for the Fujian Xunxing last season. His success attracted the attention of the owner of Shanghai Sharks and former NBA Chinese phenom, Yao Ming.

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West then signed a one-year contract that offered $500,000 and incentive options that could have increased that amount to $1 million. But within such a short time span, West was released from the team after just four games to start the season.

Many speculate that his release from the team most likely is due to his bad performances. West's stats were significantly down compared to last year, as the guard averaged just 12.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists over his short stint with the Sharks.

"Honestly, we did not expect such a drop in performance," Sharks coach Ma Yuenan told reporters.

West played for five different NBA teams over the course of eight years, but hasn't played in the league since the 2011-12 season. He recently participated in the NBA's Summer League with the Los Angeles Clippers, but didn't impress any teams enough to receive an offer or even a training camp invite.

Teams seem to stray away from the thought of offering West a deal due to the multiple reports about his struggles with bipolar disorder in addition to previous incidents of running into problems with the law.

West could have possibly enticed NBA teams to give him another shot if he was able to perform well in another season with the CBA. But being released in such a short stint on bad performances now makes his chances returning to the NBA very slim. It's certainly possible we've seen the last of Delonte West as a professional basketball player. 

Tagschinese basketball association, cba, Yao Ming, Delonte West, Professional basketball