By Vivian Ji

BEIJING, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Praise has been lavished on Lester Hudson since the former NBA star and Liaoning Flying Leopards decided not to renew their contract on Friday.

"Hudson is a great player," said Leopards president Liu Jingyuan. "He has helped Liaoning achieve brilliant results in the Chinese basketball league."

"He has also helped in raising the standard of the game," said Liu, also a vice president of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA).

The Boston Celtics selected Lester Hudson in Round 2 with Pick 28 in the 2009 NBA Draft. He had also played for the Memphis Grizzlies, the Washington Wizards, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Utah Jazz and the Los Angeles Clippers.

During the five years of dedicating himself to Liaoning Flying Leopards, Hudson has helped the team to reach the top four in the CBA league and enter the finals for three times, including the 2017-2018 title run.

Hudson's all-time CBA total is 10,544 points, making him the third best scorer in the CBA history and the first foreign player to score over 10,000 points.

"Hudson, who was named MVP twice and led Liaoning to a CBA title, was the undisputed No. 1 foreign player in the CBA league,” said Sohu Sports.

"With his outstanding ability, rich experience, courageous attempts and indefatigable effort, Hudson made history with Liaoning Flying Leopards," said Chinese basketball commentator Zhang Yifei.

Flying Leopards expressed gratitude to Hudson in a letter of acknowledgement: "Liaoning Flying Leopards is like a running train. It has no end. But everyone on this train has his own destination. When Hudson gets off at his own station, although those who remain on the train are reluctant, they would be grateful and wave goodbye.

"We cherish the moments that we shared in the past and will let our great friendship go on. We will always be glad to say welcome home to Hudson when he comes to Liaoning again! Hudson, Liaoning will always be your home, and we will open our arms to your forever."