Liz Cambage Responds to Video of 2021 Australia-Nigeria Altercation Surfacing
Joseph Zucker@@JosephZucker
Featured Columnist IVAugust 9, 2023
Former WNBA and Australia national team star Liz Cambage issued a statement Tuesday after video of the Opals' exhibition against Nigeria, when she was alleged to have used a racist slur, surfaced on social media.
"The circulating video portrays a highly physical game with no officiating, resulting in me being attacked and sustaining a concussion," she said. "Contrary to false claims, I did not use racial slurs or refer to anyone as a monkey, which is evident from the footage."
Cambage made a similar denial in an interview with Bleacher Report's Taylor Rooks.
Bleacher Report @BleacherReportLiz Cambage says she's in talks to leave the Australian team to represent Nigeria in the Olympics.<br><br>She maintains she did not use a racial slur towards the Nigerian team during a scrimmage ahead of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics<br><br>(via Taylor Rooks X) <a href="https://t.co/8VOWEMtUzH">pic.twitter.com/8VOWEMtUzH</a>
In an almost nine-minute clip of the exhibition posted to social media on Tuesday, the footage shows the game briefly coming to a halt after Cambage elbowed a Nigerian player under the basket. Later on, she makes contact with another player's face, which caused the player to physically confront Cambage.
Much of the on-court interactions between the teams are either inaudible or indecipherable.
Reports from Australian media last year cited multiple Nigerian players who said Cambage used the word "monkey" in a derogatory manner.
Jenna O'Hea, who was on the Opals roster for the 2021 Summer Olympics, also said it was "100 percent correct" when a television presenter referenced Cambage allegedly telling the Nigerian team to "go back to your third-world country."
ABC SPORT @abcsportWhat was behind Liz Cambage's falling out with the Opals?<br><br>Former Australian captain Jenna O'Hea tells the Offsiders panel what really happened in the build-up to the Tokyo Olympics.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Offsiders?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Offsiders</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/basketball?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#basketball</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LizCambage?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LizCambage</a> <a href="https://t.co/WiDxBw1EEe">pic.twitter.com/WiDxBw1EEe</a>
Nigeria national team players Promise Amukamara and Sarah Ogoke also pushed back when Cambage denied the allegations in her interview with Rooks.
Bleacher Report @BleacherReportNigerian national team players Promise Amukamara and Sarah Ogoke respond to Liz Cambage maintaining she did not use a racial slur during scrimmage ahead of 2021 Tokyo Olympics and saying she's in talks to leave Australia to represent Nigeria <a href="https://t.co/uhIJfcVUh6">pic.twitter.com/uhIJfcVUh6</a>
Basketball Australia solicited an independent panel to investigate the allegations. While the specific findings weren't made public, the panel said Cambage "did engage in conduct that brought Basketball Australia into censure in relation to one of the incidents charged."
Cambage left the Opals as they were continuing their Olympics preparations. She said in July 2021 she wanted to focus on her mental health and had been concerned about dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic-related restrictions that limited contact with people outside the team's bubble.
The expectation was that the 31-year-old's national team career with Australia was over, and her interview with Rooks effectively removed any doubt.
However, Cambage said she was exploring the steps required to potentially suit up for Nigeria. ESPN's Colin Udoh reported the Nigerian federation has no plans for her to switch her allegiances.