By: Richard Huang
On July 26th, The Los Angeles Sparks announced that they are ending their contract with Liz Cambage, who was signed by Sparks not even six months ago.
“It is with support that we share Liz Cambage’s decision to terminate her contract with the organization,” Sparks Managing Partner Eric Holoman said. He also added that Cambage’s departure will not affect the 2022 season. “We want what’s best for Liz and have agreed to part ways amicably. The Sparks remain excited about our core group and are focused on our run towards a 2022 playoff berth,” he said.
Signed as a free agent, the 6-foot-9 player holds averages of 13.0 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 25 games this season.
“It was a surprise — I didn’t know what really escalated it,” Fred Williams, the team’s interim coach, said at a media availability on Tuesday. “A lot of it could have been things off the court, off floor, who knows. Having conversations with her afterward, it just felt it was good for her personally to make that move. All we can do as an organization is support that and her decisions and just move on.”
The partings between the Cambage and W.N.B.A teams have occurred three times in five years. She also refused to play for her home country Australia in the 2022 World Cup, saying that her interest was “still ZERO” and posted the story on Instagram.
Besides being an athlete, Cambage also has a history in different careers. She was signed to the talent agency IMG and has been a sportswear model for Adidas. She has also signed to Wasserman Music as a D.J..
“I had been living someone else’s dream, chasing that for a minute,” she told The New York Times in May. “But now I’ve realized that this has always been my dream, being here in L.A. and playing here.”
“I think it wasn’t until I moved to America when I was 19 that I really loved who I am,” she said. “And as a woman of color, as a bigger woman, those two things are really embraced here in America.”
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/27/sports/basketball/liz-cambage-los-angeles-sparks.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/05/sports/basketball/liz-cambage-los-angeles-sparks.html
https://sparks.wnba.com/news/los-angeles-sparks-agree-to-contract-divorce-with-liz-cambage/