By: Nina Samone
Liz Cambage addressed her midseason departure from the Los Angeles Sparks for the first time in an Instagram post, stating she would be stepping away from the WNBA “for the time being.”
In her post, she wrote:
“Playing for the Sparks was a dream come true and I’m honored to have shared the court with such amazing ladies for as long as we did. I’m sorry to have left abruptly and I wish it would have ended on a different note. I’ve decided to step away from the league for the time being and 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. Thank you to all my supporters, family and friends for all the love and light you continue to surround me with.”
Cambage, a four-time WNBA All-Star, left on July 26th in the heat of the playoff race. Her former team, the Los Angeles Sparks, lost eight of their final nine games, finishing with the second-worst record in the league – and officially falling out of playoff contention for the second straight season.
The Australian center was drafted 2nd overall in 2011 and made it clear she wanted to help LA become relevant again, but her basketball career has been mixed with her open struggle with her mental health – among other controversy.
Recently she was accused of making racist comments towards Nigerian basketball players after being involved in an altercation.
Her future in the WNBA is unclear, but she has other non-basketball talents as well, indlucing DJing and modeling.
Sources:
Rapp, Timothy. August 15th, 2022. Bleacher Report. “Liz Cambage Stepping Away from WNBA ‘For the Time Being’ After Exit from Sparks.” <https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10045445-liz-cambage-stepping-away-from-wnba-for-the-time-being-after-exit-from-sparks>
Phillippou, Alexa. August 2022. ESPN. “Liz Cambage says she’s stepping away from WNBA for ‘time being.’ <https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/34403614/liz-cambage-says-stepping-away-wnba-being>
