Liz Cambage has dropped a basketball bombshell, revealing her plans to play for the Nigerian nationwide workforce two years after an incident with the workforce that ended her profession.
Cambage was famously dumped from Australia’s Tokyo Olympics marketing campaign after allegedly telling Nigerian gamers to “go back to their third world country” throughout a scrimmage forward of the 2021 Games.
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The towering centre has denied the allegations, regardless of quite a few separate confirmations she made the remark — together with from former Opals captain Jenna O’Hea.
Now Cambage has damaged her silence, repeating her denial to the Bleacher Report and making the stunning revelation she is in talks to play for Nigeria.
Asked why a number of gamers and sources from each the Australian and Nigerian groups claimed she made the comment, Cambage mentioned: “A lot of girls don’t like me.
“I don’t really lean towards racially backed insults.
“That’s not how I go.
“I’m very pro-Black. I did not say these things to these girls.”
Pressed on why her facet of the story is in stark distinction to different accounts, Cambage mentioned: “Because the truth looks a lot worse for other organisations involved, than using me as a scapegoat.”
“Why does Nigeria want me to leave Australia and go and represent them?”
“We’re filing for me to leave the Australian team, so I can represent Nigeria.
“I’ve been in cahoots, I’ve been talking to them since all of this happened.
“This is what I mean, people don’t know the truth.”
But veteran Nigerian ladies’s basketballer Promise Amukamara appeared to close down Cambage’s claims, tweeting: “I’m sorry but this is False. Lol.
“Literally everyone from both teams have the same story BUT her, so y’all do the math!”
Cambage is of Nigerian descent and would in concept be eligible to play for them.
Australia’s Opals gained bronze finally 12 months’s FIBA ladies’s World Cup with out Cambage and coach Sandy Brondello has formally shut the door on her returning to the nationwide facet.
It could be a shocking improvement if Cambage does certainly swimsuit up for Nigeria, given the historical past between her and the African nation.
Cambage by no means performed for Australia once more after the warm-up recreation incident earlier than the 2021 Olympics and her WNBA profession is successfully over after she walked out on the Las Angeles Sparks final 12 months.
The determination got here within the wake of an excruciating press convention during which two of her Sparks teammates appeared like they wished to be wherever else however subsequent to the Australian.
In the press convention, sisters Nneka and Chiney Ogwumike — who’re Nigerian — have been seen squirming uncomfortably and even rolling their eyes as Cambage spoke about her return from Covid-19.
Source: www.news.com.au
