Australian women's basketball star Liz Cambage is a controversial figure. While her talent cannot be doubted, she has often found herself at the center of controversy and drama. That legacy came to a peak last year when Cambage abruptly retired from the WNBA. “I'm hopeful that the WNBA will do their part in creating safer environments and a stronger support system for their players. While I'll miss rocking the purple and gold, I'll be taking this time to focus on my healing and personal growth before providing clarification on past rumors,” Cambage said in a 2022 Instagram post announcing her retirement from the league.
However, Cambage has recently re-emerged with a bombshell interview with Bleacher Report about why she left the league. Currently playing professionally in Israel, Cambage sat down with Taylor Rooks to seemingly spill the tea about her retirement. Speaking on her dramatic exit from the LA Sparks hours before they were meant to play a game, Cambage recalled "a few disrespectful teammates yelling at me because they didn't know how to throw a lob pass to me." Essentially, Cambage's entire interview boiled down to how she left the team because they didn't know how to play with her and made her the scapegoat. However, the clip left some people calling cap on the situation.
Cambage Called Out By Former Teammates
One of the biggest voices calling out Cambage's interview was Jordin Canada, who was also part of that 2022 Sparks team. "I usually keep to myself and mind my business but Bleacher Report if y’all want the REAL TRUTH, call me. #IYKYK 🤥," Canada wrote as a quote tweet of the Bleacher Report interview. Rumors about Cambage's exit have swirled since it happened last July. Multiple team sources have claimed that Cambage's version of events was untrue or at the very least, reframed to make her look better.
However, former teammates are not the only ones calling out Cambage. Many fans pointed out Cambage's long history of drama in the WNBA in response to the interview. In 2019, Cambage forced her way out of Dallas through a trade. She later wrote in the Player's Tribune that she had "lost all her support there." Additionally, many pointed to Cambage's long-standing "diva" status. Despite being the second-overall pick in 2007, Cambage didn't come to the WNBA until 2011 and has only played in six WNBA seasons. Furthermore, many pointed to the allegations of racism leveled at Cambage. Cambage reportedly used racial slurs during a scrimmage with Nigerian players, something she has repeatedly denied. Despite this, we will only have Cambage's side of the story until someone sits down with Canada and others about their claims.
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