Nigerian Player Calls Cap On Liz Cambage Claims

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Nigeria v Mali - FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup Qualifying Tournament
BELGRADE, SERBIA - FEBRUARY 13: Promise Amukamara of Nigeria in action during the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup Qualifying Tournament match between Nigeria v Mali on February 13, 2022 in Belgrade, Serbia. (Photo by Nikola Krstic/MB Media/Getty Images)
Promise Amukamara says we shouldn't believe anything that Cambage has said this week.

It's been a very busy week for Liz Cambage. It all began with Bleacher Report releasing a very uncritical interview between Cambage and Taylor Rooks, where Cambage told her side of the story on two issues. The first was her shock exit from the LA Sparks in 2022. The second was claims that she had used racial slurs towards Nigerian players during an Olympic warm-up match. On both counts, Cambage denied any wrongdoing and painted as the victim. This was immdiately met with people calling BS. Jordin Canada, one of Cambage's Sparks' teammates, even told Bleacher Report to call her if they wanted the "real truth."

Then someone leaked the video of the scrimmage in which Cambage reportedly used racial slurs. While the audio does not capture Cambage's comments, the video does show her being punched by at least one Nigerian player. Furthermore, the video's release was another for Cambage to make another post denying any wrongdoing as well addressing claims that she was seeking to join the Nigerian National Team ahead of the 2024 Olympics in Paris. However, there is one account that many people appear to be overlooking.

Promise Amukamara Calls Out Cambage

The notion that "no Nigerian players have addressed Cambage's claims", which has been pushed by some media outlets, is untrue. Right at the start of the debacle, Nigerian international Promise Amukamara called cap on everything that Liz Cambage said in her Bleacher Report interview. "Sorry but this is False. Lol," the New Jersey-born Amukamara began her tweet thread. "She called us Monkeys & told us to go back to our country. Yes she said that! Literally everyone from both teams have the same story BUT her, so y'all do the math! [And] the only person has been in "cahoots" w/ was the former head coach of our National team & he's no longer the coach, so there's that! 🫠."

It's a pretty major account of Cambage's actions, especially when it comes to her claims of attempting to join the Nigerian National Team for the 2024 Olympics. The coach in question is Otis Hughley Jr., who left the Nigerian National Team in 2022 to take over the men's basketball team at Alabama A&M. As mentioned by Amukamara, who went 30/7/8 over Nigeria's three Olympic matches, no one present at the scrimmage has ever vouched for Cambage. Jenna O'Hea, Australia's captain, corroborates the story and says she hasn't spoken to Cambage since the incident. Furthermore, Cambage has not played international basketball since it happened.

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About The Author
Benjamin Mock (they/them) is a sports and culture writer working out of Philadelphia. Previously writing for the likes of Fixture, Dexerto, Fragster, and Jaxon, Ben has dedicated themselves to engaging and accessible articles about sports, esports, and internet culture. With a love for the weirder stories, you never quite know what to expect from their work.

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