May 30, (THEWILL) – Liz Cambage, a basketballer for the Los Angeles Sparks, responded to an Australian medi report about the brawl that ended her career with the Australian national team before the 2016 Olympics, denying allegations of racial slur.
During an altercation that began when she struck one of their players with a hard elbow, Cambage allegedly shouted racist epithets, calling the Nigerian team “monkeys” and asking them to “go back to your third-world country” they came from.
In a post on her Instagram page late Sunday night, Cambage rejected the charges and claimed she had been “physically assaulted,” instead. She wrote: “I am very disappointed and hurt by the events and accusations that have unfolded in the Australian media. The recount of what took place is inaccurate and misleading.”
In the July event, just over a week before the Olympics, during a private scrimmage between Australia and Nigeria in Las Vegas. Cambage, whose father is Nigerian, apologised for her actions the day after the altercation, eliciting mixed reactions.
Cambage also expressed regret to the Australian squad, which one player described as “lighthearted”. She was facing expulsion from the Australian team as a result of the incident, but she instead announced her own exit. Cambage announced her departure from the team in a statement, citing concerns about her mental health amid the Olympic bubble.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
