Mateusz Ponitka leaves Zenit Saint Petersburg / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: FIBA Credit FIBA

A few days after returning to Russia to re-join Zenit Saint Petersburg, Mateusz Ponitka's stint with the Russian club has officially come to an end, per club's announcement.

Mateusz Ponitka

Team:Zenit Saint PetersburgPosition:SFAge:28Height:197 cmWeight:93 kgBirth place:Ostrow, PolandProfileNewsStatistics

"Mateusz Ponitka leaves BC Zenit. The Club and the forward decided to terminate the contract ahead of terms by agreement of the parties. Thank You for everything, Mateusz!" the announcement reads.

The 28-year-old player had been playing with Zenit since July 2019, initially signing a two-year deal.

Last Tuesday, Ponitka received some heavy criticism from Polish basketball legend and long-time NBA player Marcin Gortat who addressed his countryman's decision to come back to the Saint Petersburg club.

"Mateusz Ponitka has always been an individualist. He always walked his paths. Sometimes it's good, sometimes – bad. He made the decisions one would expect of him... He only thought of 'himself'. There is no major shock or surprise for me in this situation. Everyone has the right to do so.

It is sad that he is the captain of our team (Polish NT). It seems to me that many people expected a different decision. You have to remember that the captain's armband was given to him by the president. Now he collects double criticism for fulfilling such a role.

All these aspects aside, the question is different. Where is nature? Human emotions? Unity? Support? Let's also wait for his statement, if there hasn't been one yet," Gortat wrote on his Twitter account.

Due to the war in Ukraine, Zenit foreigners were allowed to leave the country. All of them took advantage of it, including the Lithuanian duo of Mindaugas Kuzminskas and Arturas Gudaitis.

This leaves four American players (Jordan Loyd, Billy Baron, Tyson Carter, and Alex Poythress) still with the club.

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