The Sparks would have us believe that the split was an amicable one.
“It is with support that we share Liz Cambage’s decision to terminate her contract with the organisation,” a statement from Sparks Managing Partner Eric Holoman read.
“We want what’s best for Liz and have agreed to part ways amicably.”
While news of the split caught many basketball fans off-guard, reports suggest that Cambage’s departure from the club was a long time coming.
Rocky start with the Sparks
Upon signing with the Los Angeles Sparks in February of this year, all indicators pointed to the player-club fit being a promising one.
“It was L.A. or out for me,” Cambage said at the time. “There was nowhere else I wanted to be.”
However, new reports suggest tensions arose between Cambage and her new team before the WNBA season kicked off.
One such dispute occurred over Cambage’s playing number.
It is understood that Cambage requested to wear the No. 8 jersey, however the Sparks had plans to retire the number to honour two-time WNBA champion DeLisha Milton-Jones.
Cambage then requested jersey No.1, belonging to Sparks forward Amanda Zahui B.
Former Sparks head coach Derek Fisher reportedly asked Zahui B. about handing her number over to Cambage. Zahui B. politely declined on the basis that the number held a lot of meaning to her.
Cambage wouldn’t budge. It is understood that management made the call to placate Cambage by giving her the No.1 jersey, which Zahui B. in turn learned about via social media.
Mid-season spats
Cambage’s chemistry issues with her fellow Sparks players are understood to have been a problem for months.
The tipping point came last Sunday when Cambage’s former team, the Las Vegas Aces, beat the Sparks 84-66 to clinch a playoff spot.
Cambage reportedly berated her team throughout the game for not giving her the ball enough – a grievance she is understood to have had throughout the season.
Despite the players offering up the ball to her wherever they could, Cambage stormed out of the locker room post-match.
“I can’t do this anymore. Best of luck to you guys,” Cambage reportedly said as she exited.
At the time of her departure, Cambage had played just 25 games for the Sparks.
Opals allegations
Cambage’s recent controversies extend beyond the WNBA, to the international arena.
Last November, Cambage was formally reprimanded by an independent panel after an investigation into a pre-Olympics training game incident between the Opals and the Nigerian women’s side.
Following the incident, Cambage pulled out of the Opals squad for mental health reasons.
At the time, details of what occurred were unclear, with varying reports of an altercation between Cambage and Nigeria.
In May 2022, video and new details emerged, painting a clearer picture of the disturbing incident.
In a scrimmage, Cambage elbowed Nigeria’s Victoria Macaulay in the neck. In another play, Cambage allegedly slapped an opponent in the face.
Anonymous Nigerian players allege a psychical and verbal altercation ensued, wherein Cambage had called them “monkeys” and told them to go back to their "third-world country."
Australian basketball legend and Sydney Kings co-owner, Andrew Bogut, labelled Cambage’s actions “beyond despicable.”
Former Opals captain Jenna O’Hea said the incident took a huge toll on herself and fellow Opals teammates.
“I don’t think I’ll ever fully process it to be honest,” O’Hea told SEN’s This Is Your Journey.
“I don’t talk about it very often unless it’s with my sports psychologist. If you asked me a couple of months ago [about the incident], I would have been in a ball of tears.”
Sparks’ playoffs dream still alive
Despite their contract ‘divorce’ from Cambage continuing to dominate headlines, the Sparks are intent on putting it behind them.
“[We] remain excited about our core group and are focused on our run towards a 2022 playoff berth,” Holoman said.
The Sparks currently occupy fourth position on the WNBA Western Conference ladder.
The Los Angeles Sparks will face off against the New York Liberty on Wednesday, August 3. Watch LIVE from 9:00am (AEST) on SBS Viceland and SBS On Demand.
