- Cambage was banned from the Opals due to purported racist remarks.
- Recently signed a high-paying contract in China.
- Could possibly make a comeback to international basketball with a surprising country.
Australian basketball player Liz Cambage has a chance to return to international basketball, not through the Opals but from the country she allegedly offended.
A prominent player for Nigeria, the team central to the scandal leading to Cambage being banned from the Opals prior to the 2024 Paris Olympics, has expressed openness to including the controversial center in their lineup.
Cambage became a global news topic in 2021 after reportedly inciting a physical confrontation and referring to Nigerian players as ‘monkeys.’
Surprisingly, she is now being welcomed to join the D’Tigress.
Nigerian guard Elizabeth Balogun has stated her willingness to forgive Cambage and invite her to represent Nigeria, despite the past conflict surrounding the incident.
Over a year ago, Cambage rekindled tensions by asserting that Nigerian players wished for her to represent her father’s homeland, a claim denied by Nigerian star guard Promise Amukamara through social media.
Nonetheless, Balogun is now receptive to Cambage’s potential spot on the Nigerian team.
‘If Liz wants to play, she is welcome into the family,’ Balogun stated.
‘We embrace all Nigerian natives on the team, so she is absolutely welcome.’
Additionally, Cambage has shared updates of her training on Instagram.
Cambage has been offered the chance to represent Paris Olympics quarter finalists Nigeria in the future despite a racism scandal involving the nation.
Cambage, second from left, has been banned from representing Australia by the Opals.
At 32, Cambage is barred from the Australian national team but continues her professional career. This year, she completed a lucrative three-month contract with the Sichuan Yuanda women’s team in China.
However, Cambodian has not been forgiven by Australian fans for her alleged racist comments towards Nigerian players following Nigeria’s unexpected win over the Opals during the Olympics.
‘Nigeria’s triumph over Australia in WBB is sweet revenge,’ one user tweeted.
‘Good for them, especially after everything they’ve endured and the trouble Liz Cambage caused.’
Another commented: ‘Do you all remember when Liz Cambage insulted a Nigerian player, calling her a monkey while playing for Australia?’
‘This is a great dose of karma/payback from the Liz Cambage incident,’ another tweet remarked.
‘I bet Liz Cambage is fuming right about now,’ remarked another tweet, adding to the criticism.
The 32-year-old is back in training and looking for a new contract after a brief stint in China.
Both Nigeria and Australia have advanced past the pool stage of the Paris Olympics and may potentially face each other again in the gold medal match if they progress that far.
Australia is still placed in the US side of the bracket but won’t confront that powerhouse until the semi-finals if they overcome the world No.10 Serbians.
The United States has not lost an Olympic match since 1992, currently boasting a 58-game winning streak.
The Opals have secured medals in four consecutive Games but have failed to reach the semi-finals in the last two editions, suffering a quarter-final defeat by the US, which ended a disappointing campaign during Tokyo.
