Last week, an investigation by The Daily Telegraph found that Sparks center Liz Cambage used a racial slur toward the Nigerian national team in a scrimmage prior to the 2021 Olympics.
The report includes details of a stunning video showing the Australian center incite a brawl after elbowing an opponent in the head and slapping another player in a closed-door scrimmage against Nigeria prior to last summer’s Olympics. Anonymous Nigerian players interviewed by The Daily Telegraph claim Cambage, 30, called the Nigerian players “monkeys” and told them to “go back to your third-world country” during the fight.
Cambage has since denied saying those discriminatory insults to her opponents. She ended up withdrawing from the 2021 Olympics to take care of herself “mentally and physically.”
WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert was asked about the situation on Tuesday, in which she detailed how it’s been difficult to obtain more information due to the fact that Cambage wasn’t playing on an WNBA team when the incident occurred.
“When this happened in 2021, Liz wasn’t playing for the WNBA,” Engelbert said, via Winsidr. “We made inquiries, asked for videos, [and the Australian Olympics Team] came out with that she was no longer playing for the team.”
Engelbert noted that the league has attempted to learn more information on the incident, but the Australian team has yet to send all the information needed for any further investigating. The commissioner is holding off from commenting on the situation until the league learns more details about what happened.
“With the information one to two weeks ago, my general counsel’s office is asking what additional information we can get,” Engelbert said. “We’ve made requests, and those inquiries are ongoing. You don’t want to weigh in without having the facts, but we’re certainly looking into the matter.”
The Australian has continued to play while the league attempts to learn more about the incident. Cambage is currently in her first season with the Sparks after a two-year run with the Aces. The four-time All-Star has played for four teams across five seasons since being drafted second overall in 2011.
