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The problem with Liz Cambage: Axed Sparks star gets the eye-roll from Nigerian teammate during presser

WNBA team Los Angeles Sparks have terminated their contract with Australian basketball star Liz Cambage

Australian national basketball team player Liz Cambage’s career in the WNBA could well be over after the Los Angeles Sparks confirmed on July 26 that they had terminated her contract midway through the season. The development comes just as a new video shows Cambage getting the eye roll from her Nigerian teammates, whom she has allegedly called 'monkeys' in the past.

“It is with support that we share Liz Cambage’s decision to terminate her contract with the organization. We want what’s best for Liz and have agreed to part ways amicably. The Sparks remain excited about our core group and are focused on our run towards a 2022 playoff berth,” team managing partner Eric Holoman said in a release.

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After the Sparks' shocking 84-66 loss to the Las Vegas Aces on July 24, Cambage headed to the locker room in order to get dressed for a quick exit out of the arena. She had scored only 11 points in the game. However, before leaving, she said to her teammates, “I can’t do this anymore. Best of luck to you guys,” as reported by Yahoo News. Interestingly, in May, Cambage had publicly indicated LA to be her dream career destination.

The 6-foot-8 athlete, who was the Sparks’ marquee offseason signing after making herself available as a free agent, has had problems in WNBA before as well. In 2021, Cambage reportedly called players from the Nigerian national team ‘monkeys’ during a training camp ahead of the Tokyo Olympics. Two Sparks veteran players, Nneka and Chiney Ogwumike — who are sisters of Nigerian descent, were disgruntled by those comments. In a press conference video that's currently doing the rounds on social media, the Nigerian players can be seen reacting uncomfortably as Cambage goes on about her struggle with Covid.

There were even conflicts on which jersey number Cambage was being allotted, with the Australian star publicly expressing her dissatisfaction and annoyance with what she was given. During film-watching sessions conducted within the team for motivation, teammates often accused Cambage of targeting them.

As far as her talent is concerned, Cambage is undeniably one of the best players in terms of potential. She was selected to the All-Star WNBA team on four occasions and still holds the highest single-game scoring record in the league.

Interestingly, on July 24, Cambage, who is fairly active on Instagram, posted a cryptic message with a photo from her appearance at the ESPYS awards, that said, "I don’t have a good side they all bad." 

ESPN and ESPYS had faced a huge backlash after the award show highlighted the agendas of women's rights and equality including equal pay and pregnancy even as most of the women athletes were not invited to the event. Several of the women's sports stars nominated for ESPYS were not invited to the actual ceremony.