And whether or not you think an athlete should let that bother them (i.e. 'he's going to have to learn how to take it to be a professional') I think it was part of the reason why he decided it was time to go.
After all, if you're going to get ripped for winning 2/3rds of your games and averaging 20 and 9, why not at least get paid a decent wage for the aggro?