Bryce Cotton declares 'I'll burn newspaper's poster'

• Five-time NBL MVP Bryce Cotton dropped a bombshell, signing with the Adelaide 36ers for three years
• Perth newspaper The West Australian branded Cotton "The Lying King"
• Cotton declares paper "crazy and disrespectful"

Former Perth Wildcats five-time MVP and new Adelaide 36ers recruit Bryce Cotton has vowed to set fire to the commemorative "King of the Jungle" back page poster gifted to him by Perth newspaper The West Australian after he broke the all-time Wildcats scoring record last year.

The West Australian labelled Cotton, 32, "The Lying King" after signing with the Adelaide 36ers for three years last week in a move that sent shockwaves through the NBL.

"I just find it so funny …  I broke the scoring record — the league scoring record — in December. The West Australian gifts me, you know, this big poster: King of the Jungle," Cotton told the Easy Days Podcast.

"We’re six months later now, they’re talking about ‘The Lying King’. Like, that … it’s crazy.

"So, like, I can’t wait when I go back to Perth — I can’t wait. When I go back to Perth, I’m burning that. That little gift they gave me? That’s going straight to the fireplace.

"It’s just crazy and disrespectful.

"But at the end of the day it’s not surprising, and that’s part of why I moved the way I moved."

Cotton, who is playing for Mets de Guaynabo in Puerto Rico, has now Instagram deleted all of his posts relating to the Perth Wildcats, except one: His celebration of the record-breaking 59-point performance against the New Zealand Breakers. 👀

In late March, Cotton took to Instagram to reveal he was leaving the Wildcats and praise the place where he spent almost a decade of his career.

"There’s not enough pictures to showcase the memories and experiences I’ve had in Perth the past 9 seasons, so this pic and caption will have to do,” Cotton wrote.

“Man.. to the red army y’all have welcomed me with open arms from the time I first stepped onto Aussie soil till I scored my last basket of the season a few weeks back. I came at the backend of the season my first year only expecting to be here 6 weeks, and it turned into accomplishing things that no other player has achieved in their first 9 seasons in the history of the league. All glory to God.

“Despite that, I had my slumps along the way on the court but you guys never turned your back on me and always showed genuine support. I can never thank you enough for that.

“I can only hope you had half as much joy watching me play as I had playing in front of y’all year after year. Win lose or draw, I gave you, my teammates, and coaches everything I had.. and thank you once again for accepting, the good games, the bad and everything in between.

“Perth will always be home, but it’s time to say goodbye and see what else God has planned for me and my family.”

Cotton didn't say he wasn't going to play in the NBL again, he specifically said he'll see what other opportunities there are for him.