Polarising Australian basketball star Liz Cambage has had the last laugh after being sacked by her WNBA club and the national team, signing a $1million mega-deal with a Chinese basketball side.
Cambage was sacked by her WNBA club LA Sparks and told her time in the Australian Opals was over this year following a series of race-related controversies.
With her WNBA and international career in tatters, it looked like the end of the road for the 31-year-old centre.
However Cambage, known as one of the sport’s most controversial figures, has announced a lucrative three-month contract with Chinese team Sichuan, worth an eye-popping $1million.
She confirmed the signing on Instagram with a story that included the line: ‘One milly then I’ll perform’.
‘If they hate then let ’em hate and watch the money pile up,’ she posted separately.
Cambage burned her bridges with both the WNBA and the Australian Opals but has landed on her feet with a massive $1million contract to play in China
Cambage has worked as a model, DJ and has an OnlyFans page to supplement her income outside of basketball
This massive deal is one of the biggest in women’s basketball history, standing in stark contrast to the WNBA, where even the highest-paid players are capped at a maximum annual salary of $234,936.
Cambage’s astronomical earnings will see her rake in nearly four times that amount in just a fraction of the time.
The contract is slated to commence next year and is rumored to include substantial bonus clauses, according to a report from News Corp.
It comes after the former Opal was spotted partying in Ibiza after a playing stint at Israel-based club Maccabi Bnot Ashdod earlier this year, following her unexpected exit from the American top-tier league.
‘I have always loved my time in China and I am really looking forward to getting out onto the court again,’ she said.
‘It’s one of the strongest leagues in the world and I have played many seasons there over the years.
‘Some of the best players in the world play in the league and it will be great to meet my teammates and the whole support team very soon.
‘They have a great successful culture of embracing and backing everyone which is why they have been so successful as a club.’
Despite being a four-time WNBA All-Star, WNBL MVP, and an Olympic bronze medalist, Cambage’s career had been marred by a series of controversies.
Cambage, pictured second from left, during happier days with Australian Opals teammates
The writing was on the wall for Cambage at the LA Sparks when teammate Chiney Ogwumike rolled her eyes at her during a media conference
One of the most significant turning points came in 2022 when she found herself at odds with the Los Angeles Sparks, effectively bringing her WNBA career to an end.
Reports circulated that Cambage had a heated confrontation in the team’s dressing room, expressing frustration over her lack of involvement in the game.
A contentious press conference with Nigerian-American teammate Chiney Ogwumike, who rolled her eyes at Cambage, only added fuel to the fire.
These incidents ultimately led to her departure from the Sparks in July of that year.
Then Cambage faced a considerable backlash and was barred from representing her country after a highly-publicised incident ahead of the Tokyo Olympics.
She was accused of making derogatory remarks towards Nigerian players, referring to them as ‘monkeys’ and telling them to ‘go back to your third world country.’
These comments strained her relationship with her Australian national team teammates, including Ezi Magbegor, who is of Nigerian descent.
In her 2022 season with the LA Sparks, Cambage posted respectable numbers, averaging 13 points and 11.5 rebounds, yet the team struggled for consistency and finished the season with a 13-23 record.
Cambage announced her departure from the franchise after just 25 games, expressing hope for the WNBA to improve its support system and player compensation in a now-deleted Instagram post.
