Liz Cambage has denied she racially abused members of the Nigerian national basketball team in a controversial pre-Olympics warm-up game.
A Sunday Telegraph report quoted unnamed members of the Australian and Nigerian teams that played in the match, who said Cambage referred to her opponents as "monkeys" after a physical confrontation.
Those allegations came after former Opal Jenna O'Hea told ABC Sport's Offsiders that Cambage told Nigerian players to "go back to your third-world country" and said Cambage would never play for Australia again.
In a statement released on Instagram, Cambage denied using the racial slurs and intentionally striking a Nigerian opponent with an elbow.
"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," Cambage said.
"After I unintentionally fouled a Nigerian player on court I was then physically assaulted by this player on the sideline of my bench.
"I was hit in the face and pushed to the ground but I walked away.
"Prior to the game I asked to sit out because I was concerned about my mental and physical health, which I have addressed publicly."
The Sunday Telegraph special quoted unnamed Nigerian players who said Cambage, whose father is Nigerian, called them "monkeys".
The Telegraph also obtained video from the closed-door scrimmage of Cambage being defended by Victoria Macaulay and throwing a vicious elbow into the head and neck of the Nigerian centre.
Cambage was reportedly subbed out of the game, but returned after a timeout and slapped a Nigerian player in the face after once again getting entangled, with the Nigerian retaliating with a closed fist as Cambage walked to the bench.
The report quoted anonymous Australian players who were at the scrimmage, with one Opal saying "there had been so many behavioural issues that had gone on previously… but that [Vegas] incident happened to be the final straw, which happened to be the worst one".
The Telegraph said Opals players grew tired of what they perceived as special treatment that Cambage received from Australian higher-ups, with her former teammates in the national set-up frustrated as the superstar centre turned up late to training sessions and team meetings.
Nigerian players were also quoted by the Telegraph as saying Cambage had told some of them just hours before the game that she wished she played for Nigeria because the Australian team was racist.
