Liz Cambage retires from Australian national team after Nigeria approached her for representation

Posted : 09 August 2023

Liz Cambage, a prominent basketball player and former star of Maccabi Ashdod, has retired from the Australian national team following a controversial incident. In a surprising turn of events, she claimed that Nigeria had approached her to represent their national team. However, other players who were involved in the incident dispute her statement, calling it a fabrication.

Known for her outspoken nature, Cambage, who played for Maccabi Ashdod in the Premier League last season and has a reputation for candidness, once again made headlines with her recent statements.

To understand the context of her controversial remarks, we need to revisit 2021 when Australia played against Nigeria in a preparatory game before the Tokyo Olympics. During the game, Cambage was observed engaging in confrontations with Nigerian players. A few months later, an investigation by The Daily Telegraph revealed that Cambage had allegedly made derogatory comments about Nigerian players during the same match, including referring to them as "box offices" and telling them to "go back to the third world country you came from."

Following the incident, Cambage withdrew from the Australian national team. In a subsequent interview, she denied the allegations, stating that those who knew her were aware that she wouldn't make such comments. However, in a recent interview with Blitzer Report, she further denied the incident and claimed that she was even approached by Nigeria to represent their team at the Paris Olympics. She said, "They asked me to leave Australia and represent Nigeria. People need to know the truth."

This claim raised questions, and Promise Amukamara, a Nigerian national team player who was involved in the incident, strongly refuted Cambage's assertion. She countered, "That's a lie. She called us cash registers; she should do the math herself if she decides to join us."

Cambage has a notable basketball career, having played in the WNBA and setting a league record with 53 points in a single game. She has been part of teams like the Tulsa Shock, Dallas Wings, Las Vegas Aces, and Los Angeles Sparks. Her time at Maccabi Ashdod during the last season propelled the team to the playoff final, where they were defeated by Elitzur Ramle in a 3-2 series.

Liz Cambage retires from Australian national team after Nigeria approached her for representation

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