"For the first time since Rafer Alston left the Miami Heat without explanation, clarity is being shed on the matter.

According to ESPN.com, Alston decided to leave the team in the wake of last week's benching amid the emotional strain of his twin sister Racine's attempted suicide.

Alston told the website his sister had attempted to take her life just days before he was relieved of his starting job.

"The way I handled it was wrong," Alston told ESPN.com. "I didn't really tell [team officials] why I was leaving."

The Heat said it only received a text from Alston the morning after he was benched during last Thursday's home victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, offering no details about his sudden departure. He subsequently was suspended without pay.

Alston told ESPN.com he eventually will attempt to rectify the situation.

"There was no argument or anything like that," he said. "I've never been a quitter and I still want to go back and tell them face to face. But after I had a little time to think about the fact that I wouldn't be playing any more, I felt the best thing was for me to be with my loved one. I just knew if I'd gotten on the phone and they said the wrong thing, voices would've been raised. I know myself. It would get bad.""