Elizabeth Folake Cambage (born 18 August 1991) is an Australian professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player who last played for the

Los Angeles Sparks The Los Angeles Sparks (LA Sparks) are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Sparks compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team was foun ...

of the

Women's National Basketball Association The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is an American professional basketball league. It is composed of twelve teams, all based in the United States. The league was founded on April 22, 1996, as the women's counterpart to the Natio ...

(WNBA). Cambage currently holds the WNBA single-game scoring record with her 53-point performance against the New York Liberty on 17 July 2018. She played for the Australia national team, the Opals, between 2009 and 2021, winning a gold medal in the 2018 Commonwealth Games, silver in the

2018 World Cup The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national Association football, football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awa ...

, and bronze in the 2012 Olympics.

Early life

Cambage was born on 18 August 1991 in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

to a

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

n father and

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal A ...

mother. Her parents separated when Cambage was three months old and she moved to Australia with her mother. First settling in Eden in

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, the family moved to

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

when Cambage was 10 years of age and later the

Mornington Peninsula The Mornington Peninsula is a peninsula located south of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is surrounded by Port Phillip to the west, Western Port to the east and Bass Strait to the south, and is connected to the mainland in the north. Geo ...

. Cambage is tall. She was teased about her height in school. At the age of ten she was tall, reaching by the time she was 14. She started playing basketball at her mother's suggestion when she was 10 as a way to make friends.

Professional career

Cambage plays at the

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

position in basketball. In 2009, she played in the Under-20 Australian National Championships, and the ABC suggested she could be the next Lauren Jackson. The only international players surpassing Cambage in height at the time were

Margo Dydek Małgorzata Dydek (known as Margo Dydek in the United States, 28 April 1974 – 27 May 2011) was a Polish professional basketball player. Standing tall, she was famous for being the tallest professional female basketball player in the world. Sh ...

, at , and Sue Geh, at tall.

WNBL

Cambage played her junior basketball with

Dandenong Rangers The Dandenong Rangers were an Australian professional women's basketball team competing in the Women's National Basketball League ( WNBL). The club is based in Dandenong, Melbourne, Victoria. The team was founded as the Dandenong Rangers, howeve ...

, joining their WNBL team for the 2007–08 season. In 2007, she accepted a scholarship to the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS), and played for the AIS team, based in Canberra, in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL), for the remainder for the 2007–08 season and the following one In August 2020, Cambage made her return to the WNBL, signing with the Southside Flyers for the 2020–21 season.

WNBA

In March 2011, Cambage expressed a reluctance to play for the

( WNBA) team that drafted her, the

Tulsa Shock The Tulsa Shock were a professional basketball team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded in Detroit, Michigan before the 1998 WNBA season began; t ...

, stating, "I don't want to play at Tulsa, I've made that clear. They want to make me a franchise player, but I'm not going to the WNBA for that. I'm going there to learn and improve my game. But what can you do?" She played in the

2011 WNBA All-Star Game The 2011 WNBA All-Star Game was played on July 23, 2011 (3:30pm EDT on ABC) at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas, home of the San Antonio Silver Stars. The game was the 10th WNBA All-Star Game, which has been held annually since 1999 except ...

Liz Cambage 2011 WNBA All-Star VIP Party

After the 2012 Summer Olympics, Cambage was due to head back to the United States to complete the WNBA season with the

, but announced on the morning her flight was due to leave, 27 August 2012, that she would not be returning to finish the 2012 season. Her agent released a statement saying she was exhausted after playing for the national team. Cambage returned to play for the Shock for the 2013 season, but did not return to the WNBA for five years after. In February 2018, she signed a multi-year contract with the Dallas Wings.

China

In June 2012, Cambage signed with Zheijang Chouzhou basketball club in China, reportedly for a salary of $400,000 (

Australian dollar The Australian dollar ( sign: $; code: AUD) is the currency of Australia, including its external territories: Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, and Norfolk Island. It is officially used as currency by three independent Pacific Isl ...

s), which made her one of the highest-paid female basketballers in the world. Yet in an article in the Australian newspaper ''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory ...

'' published on 8 March 2019, Cambage bemoaned being poorly compensated and unable to meet her mortgage payments, noting that she had not been paid since September 2018 after an injury prevented her from playing in China. She was quoted as saying: "It's funny, we make all these sacrifices for our nation, but are we getting looked after properly at the end of the day?"

Return to WNBA

In February 2018, Cambage signed a multi-year contract with the Dallas Wings. On 17 July 2018, in a game against the New York Liberty, Cambage scored a WNBA record 53 points. The Wings won the game, 104–87. Cambage was voted into the

2018 WNBA All-Star Game The 2018 WNBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game played on July 28, 2018. The Minnesota Lynx hosted the WNBA All-Star Game for the first time. Rosters Selection On June 5, the WNBA announced that 2018 would have a new roster selec ...

, making it her second all-star appearance. Following her 53-point performance, she scored 35 points in a 90–81 victory over the

Washington Mystics The Washington Mystics are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Mystics compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Eastern Conference (WNBA), Eastern Conference ...

making it the highest two-game point total in league history. By the end of the season, Cambage led the league in scoring and the Wings finished with a 15–19 record as the number 8 seed in the league. In the first-round elimination game, the Wings lost, 101–83, to the Phoenix Mercury. On 22 January 2019 Cambage requested a trade from the Wings. On 16 May 2019 she was traded to the Las Vegas Aces. During the 2019 season, Cambage was voted into the All-Star Game, making it her third all-star appearance. At the end of the season, the Aces finished 21–13 and the number 4 seed, receiving a bye to the second round. In the second-round elimination game, the Aces advanced to the semi-finals after defeating the

Chicago Sky The Chicago Sky are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Sky compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Eastern Conference. The franchise was founded prior to the 2 ...

, 93–92, off a play by teammate

Dearica Hamby Dearica Marie Hamby (born November 6, 1993) is an American basketball player for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). College During her senior year Hamby averaged 20.3 points, the highest scoring average ...

in which she came up with a steal and nailed a desperation three-pointer from half court. In the semi-finals, the Aces' playoff run came to an end as they were defeated by the eventual champions, the

, in four games. On July 5, 2020, it was announced that Cambage would sit out the 2020 WNBA season due to health concerns and preexisting risk factors surrounding the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

after an evaluation by the team doctor. Without Cambage, the Aces finished the season 18–4 with the number one seed in the shortened 22-game season, they reached the Finals but were swept by the Seattle Storm. On 23 May 2021, during a game against the Connecticut Sun, the opposing coach Curt Miller lobbied the referee for a foul call on Cambage, while hyperbolically claiming Cambage was "300 pounds". Cambage responded with a post on Instagram, calling out Connecticut Sun coach Curt Miller calling him a "little white man". Cambage signed with the

in 2022. On July 26, 2022, Cambage was released by the Sparks on an according "contract divorce". Cambage, on August 15, 2022, announced her retirement from the WNBA. Her retirement came three weeks after she was released by the Sparks.

National team career

In 2009, Cambage was a member of the Australian junior women's national team that won a gold medal at the Oceania World Qualification series, This is a booklet published by the Australian Sport Commission, has a copyright notice on the page following the cover page. and a silver medal at the William Jones Cup in Taiwan. The following year, she was a member of the Australian junior women's team that competed at the World Championships in Thailand. This is a booklet published by the Australian Sport Commission, has a copyright notice on the page following the cover page. Her first call up to the senior national side was in 2008, and she had her first cap for the Australian Opals in 2009 in a test series against China, went she played in the third game in the series. On 2 September 2009, she played in the Canberra hosted return game against New Zealand in the Oceania Championship, and she was a member of the Australian senior women's team that won a gold medal at the Oceania World Qualification Series. She was a member of the national team again in 2010. In June 2010, she was viewed by national team coach Carrie Graf as one of a quartet of strong players that would represent Australia in a tour of China, the United States and Europe. In 2010, she participated in the Salamanca Invitational Basketball Tournament in Spain. Her team beat Spain 85–64. They also beat the United States. She scored 20 points in the game against Spain. In 2010, she was a member of the senior women's national team that competed at the World Championships in the Czech Republic. She was important to the team's success. In July 2010, she participated in a four-day training camp and one game test match against the United States in

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

, but missed the Olympic qualification series in July 2011 because of WNBA commitments. Nonetheless, she was named to the 2012 Australia women's national basketball team. In February 2012, she was named to a short list of 24 eligible players to represent Australia at the

2012 London Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

. In late April and early May 2012, she was one of four Australian "big" players to participate in a special training camp for the team, and participated in the national team training camp held from 14 to 18 May 2012 at the Australian Institute of Sport. Cambage was seen as a key component if Australia was to beat the United States in

. At the 2012 Olympic Games on 2 August, Cambage successfully dunked the basketball with one hand in a 70–66 victory over

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

. Cambage and the Opals won a bronze medal in London with an 83–74 win over Russia. Just before the 2014 World Championships, she ruptured her Achilles tendon, causing her to miss eight months of playing time. At the 2016 Olympics in Rio, she was the leading scorer and rebounder for the team that reached the quarterfinals. She was also part of the Australian team that won gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Misconduct

Cambage was named to the national team for the Tokyo Olympics but withdrew from the team in July 2021, less than two weeks before the tournament. She stated this was due to mental health issues. In May 2022, it came out that Cambage had racially taunted players on the Nigerian team during a pre-Olympics training game, calling the players "monkeys" and telling the Nigerian players to "Go back to your Third World Country". She was later found to have elbowed and slapped players on the Nigerian team, causing the training game to be called off.

Statistics

WNBA

Regular season

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Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

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Playoffs

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WCBA

Regular season

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References

External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cambage, Liz 1991 births Living people Australian expatriate basketball people in the United States Australian expatriate basketball people in China Australian expatriate sportspeople in England Australian Institute of Sport basketball (WNBL) players Australian people of Nigerian descent English people of Nigerian descent English people of Australian descent Australian women's basketball players Basketball players at the 2012 Summer Olympics Basketball players at the 2016 Summer Olympics Basketball players at the 2018 Commonwealth Games Basketball players from Greater London Basketball players from Melbourne Beijing Great Wall players Centers (basketball) Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Australia Commonwealth Games medallists in basketball Dallas Wings players Dandenong Rangers players English emigrants to Australia British expatriate basketball people in China Las Vegas Aces players Los Angeles Sparks players Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics Melbourne Boomers players Olympic basketball players of Australia Olympic bronze medalists for Australia Olympic medalists in basketball Shanghai Swordfish players Sportspeople of Nigerian descent Sportswomen from Victoria (Australia) Tulsa Shock draft picks Tulsa Shock players Women's National Basketball Association All-Stars

Early life

Professional career

WNBL

WNBA

China

Return to WNBA

National team career

Misconduct

Statistics

WNBA

Regular season

Playoffs

WCBA

Regular season

See also

References

External links