Liz Cambage, a once prominent figure in the WNBA, has made public her decision to exit from the Australian national team and noted her move to start a new journey as a player for the Nigerian basketball team.
Standing tall at 6 feet 9 inches, Cambage, a centre, secured spots in the WNBA All-Star game consecutively in 2018, 2019, and 2021, showcasing her exceptional skills. Moreover, during the first of those years, she also topped the league in scoring.
Clarifying her stance in an interview conducted by Taylor Rooks for Bleacher Report, Cambage outright rejected the assertion that she had directed racial slurs at Nigerian national team players during a pre-Olympics scrimmage in 2021.
A report from The Sunday Telegraph in May 2022 detailed that Cambage purportedly used offensive language, describing players on the Nigerian team as ‘monkeys’ and urging them to ‘go back to your third-world country.’ These comments were allegedly made during a scrimmage held in Las Vegas between Australia and Nigeria.
Contradicting the reports, Cambage asserted her strong pro-Black stance and emphasised that she would never entertain racially-charged insults.
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‘I don’t really lean towards racially backed insults,’ Cambage said. ‘That’s not how I go. I’m very pro-Black. I did not say these [things] to these girls. The truth looks a lot worse for other organizations involved, than using me as a scapegoat.’
Additionally, Cambage mentioned that Nigeria has extended an invitation to her to join their ranks as a player.
‘We’re filing for me to leave the Australian national team so I can represent Nigeria,’ Cambage said. ‘I’ve been in cahoots. I’ve been talking with them since all of this happened. This is what I mean. People don’t know the truth.’