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Liz Cambage

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Elizabeth Folake "Liz" Cambage (/kæmˈbeɪʒ/ kam-BAYZH;[1] born 18 August 1991[2]) is a British-born Australian professional basketball player for the Sichuan Yuanda of the Women's Chinese Basketball Association. Cambage currently shares the WNBA single-game scoring record with A'ja Wilson, with her 53-point performance against the New York Liberty on 17 July 2018.[3][4]

Liz Cambage
Cambage with the Las Vegas Aces in 2019
No. 18 – Sichuan Yuanda
PositionCentre
LeagueWomen's Chinese Basketball Association
Personal information
Born (1991-08-18) 18 August 1991 (age 33)
London, England
NationalityAustralian
Listed height6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight216 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High schoolPadua College
(Mornington, Victoria)
WNBA draft2011: 1st round, 2nd overall pick
Selected by the Tulsa Shock
Playing career2007–present
Career history
2007Dandenong Rangers
2007–2008Australian Institute of Sport
2009–2012Bulleen Boomers
2011Tulsa Shock
2012–2013Zhejiang Chouzhou
2013Tulsa Shock
2013–2014Beijing Great Wall
2015–2016Shanghai Swordfish
2017–2018Melbourne Boomers
2018Dallas Wings
2018–2019Shanxi Flame
2019,
2021		Las Vegas Aces
2020Southside Flyers
2022Los Angeles Sparks
2023Maccabi Bnot Ashdod
2024–presentSichuan Yuanda
Career highlights and awards
Stats at WNBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Medals
Representing  Australia
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 2012 London Team
FIBA World Cup
Silver medal – second place 2018 Spain
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal – first place 2018 Gold Coast Team

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, and bronze in the 2012 Olympics.

Early life

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Cambage was born on 18 August 1991[5][6] in London to a Nigerian father and Australian 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, the family moved to Melbourne when Cambage was 10 years of age and later the Mornington Peninsula.[7][8]

Cambage is 2.06 metres (6 ft 9 in) tall.[6][9][10] She was teased about her height in school. At the age of 10, she was 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) tall, reaching 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) 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.[8]

Professional career

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Cambage plays at the centre position in basketball.[6][11] In 2009, she played in the Under-20 Australian National Championships,[12] and the ABC suggested she could be the next Lauren Jackson.[8] The only international players surpassing Cambage in height at the time were Margo Dydek, at 2.18 m (7 ft 2 in), and Sue Geh, at 2.05 m (6 ft 8+1⁄2 in) tall.[13]

WNBL

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Cambage played her junior basketball with Dandenong Rangers, joining their WNBL team for the 2007–08 season. In 2007, she accepted a scholarship to the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS),[14][15] 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[8][14][16] In August 2020, Cambage made her return to the WNBL, signing with the Southside Flyers for the 2020–21 season.[17]

WNBA

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Cambage celebrates her defence of Sylvia Fowles of the Minnesota Lynx

In March 2011, Cambage expressed a reluctance to play for the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team that drafted her, the Tulsa Shock, 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?"[18] She played in the 2011 WNBA All-Star Game.[19]

 
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 Tulsa Shock, 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.[20]

Cambage returned to play for the Shock for the 2013 season, but did not return to the WNBA for five years after.[21] In February 2018, she signed a multi-year contract with the Dallas Wings.[22]

WCBA

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In June 2012, Cambage signed with Zheijang Chouzhou basketball club in China, reportedly for a salary of AUS$400,000, which made her one of the highest-paid female basketballers in the world.[23] Yet in an article in the Australian newspaper The Age published on 8 March 2019, Cambage reported 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?"[24]

Return to WNBA

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Cambage playing for Dallas in 2018

In February 2018, Cambage signed a multiyear contract with the Dallas Wings.[25] On 17 July 2018, in a game against the New York Liberty, Cambage scored a WNBA record 53 points (the mark was later tied by A'ja Wilson).[26] The Wings won the game, 104–87.[27] Cambage was voted into the 2018 WNBA All-Star Game, 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, making it the highest two-game point total in league history.[28] By the end of the season, Cambage led the league in scoring and the Wings finished with a 15–19 record as the number-eight 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.[29] 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-four seed, receiving a bye to the second round. In the second-round elimination game, the Aces advanced to the semifinals after defeating the Chicago Sky, 93–92, off a play by teammate Dearica Hamby in which she came up with a steal and nailed a desperation three-pointer from half court. In the semifinals, the Aces' playoff run came to an end as they were defeated by the eventual champions, the Washington Mystics, in four games.

On 5 July 2020, the team announced that Cambage would sit out the 2020 WNBA season due to health concerns and pre-existing risk factors surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic after an evaluation by the team doctor.[30][31] 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, 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".[32]

Cambage signed with the Los Angeles Sparks on 15 February 2022. During the 2022 season, though, at Cambage's request, she was released on 26 July by the Sparks from her contract.[33] Three weeks later, on 15 August 2022, Cambage announced she was stepping away from the WNBA.[34][35]

Israel

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On 3 March 2023, it was announced that Cambage had signed a contract with the Israeli women's basketball club Maccabi Bnot Ashdod, marking Cambage's first appearance in an Israeli basketball league after playing for teams in Australia, the United States and China.[36]

National team career

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Liz Cambage at the Opals' training camp in Canberra, May 2012

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,[37] and a silver medal at the William Jones Cup in Taiwan.[37] The following year, she was a member of the Australian junior women's team that competed at the World Championships in Thailand.[38]

Her first call up to the senior national side was in 2008,[9] and she had her first cap for the Australian Opals in 2009 in a test series against China,[39] went she played in the third game in the series.[40] On 2 September 2009, she played in the Canberra hosted return game against New Zealand in the Oceania Championship,[41] and she was a member of the Australian senior women's team that won a gold medal at the Oceania World Qualification Series.[37] She was a member of the national team again in 2010.[42] 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.[43] 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.[44]

In 2010, she was a member of the senior women's national team that competed at the World Championships in the Czech Republic.[9][38] She was important to the team's success.[8][45] In July 2010, she participated in a four-day training camp and one game test match against the United States in Connecticut,[43] but missed the Olympic qualification series in July 2011 because of WNBA commitments.[19] Nonetheless, she was named to the 2012 Australia women's national basketball team.[46]

In February 2012, she was named to a short list of 24 eligible players to represent Australia at the 2012 London Olympics.[6] 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,[10] and participated in the national team training camp held from 14 to 18 May 2012 at the Australian Institute of Sport.[45] Cambage was seen as a key component if Australia was to beat the United States in London.[47] At the 2012 Olympic Games on 2 August, Cambage successfully dunked the basketball with one hand in a 70–66 victory over Russia. 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.[48]

At the 2016 Olympics in Rio, she was the leading scorer and rebounder for the team that reached the quarterfinals.[49] She was also part of the Australian team that won gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.[48]

Misconduct

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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.[50][51] In May 2022, reports alleged that Cambage had racially taunted players on the Nigerian team during a pre-Olympics training game, telling the Nigerian players, "Go back to your third world country."[52][53]

Statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game  RPG  Rebounds per game
 APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game  BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game
 TO  Turnovers per game  FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 Bold  Career best ° League leader

WNBA

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Regular season

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Liz Cambage regular season statistics
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2011 Tulsa 33 11 20.0 .511 .000 .794 4.7 0.5 0.8 0.9 2.3 11.5
2013 Tulsa 20 16 25.0 .561 .000 .776 8.3 1.1 0.5 2.4 3.1 16.3
2018 Dallas 32 32 29.5 .589 .324 .738 9.7 2.3 0.4 1.6 2.7 23.0°
2019 Las Vegas 31 29 25.3 .499 .167 .753 8.1 2.1 0.5 1.5 2.2 15.8
2021 Las Vegas 25 24 23.8 .543 .357 .710 8.2 1.5 0.7 1.6 1.8 14.2
2022 Los Angeles 25 24 23.4 .509 .286 .784 6.4 2.1 0.6 1.6 2.3 13.0
Career 6 years, 3 teams 167 137 24.5 .539 .280 .758 7.5 1.6 0.7 1.6 2.4 15.8

Playoffs

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Liz Cambage playoffs statistics
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2018 Dallas 1 1 35.0 .500 .000 .667 12.0° 6.0 0.0 3.0 3.0 22.0
2019 Las Vegas 5 5 30.6 .549 .500 .871 11.4° 2.0 1.2 1.8 2.6 23.6
2021 Las Vegas 5 3 20.0 .488 .500 1.000 5.4 1.8 0.2 1.6 3.4 10.4
Career 3 years, 2 teams 11 9 26.2 .525 .444 .851 8.7 2.0 1.4 1.2 2.2 17.5

WCBA

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Regular season

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Liz Cambage WCBA regular season statistics
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2012–13 Zhejiang 30 – 23.6 .785 1.000 .798 11.1 0.9 0.9 2.5° 3.1 36.2
2013–14 Beijing 30 – 23.2 .742 .222 .808 9.7 1.8 1.1 1.3 3.0 31.7
2015–16 Shanghai 31 – 20.6 .698 .304 .827 11.7 1.6 1.1 1.8° 3.7 26.4
Career 3 years, 3 teams 91 – 22.4 .741 .303 .810 10.8 1.4 0.8 1.9 3.4 30.5

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "10 Things LA Sparks' Liz Cambage Can't Live Without | GQ Sports". YouTube. 28 June 2022. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  2. ^ GRO Register of Births 1991 15 151 SOUTHWARK - Elizabeth Folake Cambage, mmn=Cambage
  3. ^ "Cambage scores WNBA-record 53 points for Wings over Liberty". ESPN. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  4. ^ "'Generational talent' Wilson's 53 ties WNBA record". 23 August 2023.
  5. ^ "Bulleen Boomers: Elizabeth Cambage". WNBL.com.au. Archived from the original on 13 November 2013. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
  6. ^ a b c d "London 2012 – 2012 Australian Opals squad named". Official Site of the 2012 Australian Olympic Team. Australian Olympic Committee. 16 February 2012. Archived from the original on 24 April 2012. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
  7. ^ "Liz Cambage the next Lauren Jackson". The Vine. 11 March 2011. Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 11 April 2011.
  8. ^ a b c d e "Behind the News – 17/08/2010: Next Big Thing". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 17 August 2010. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
  9. ^ a b c "Cambage's tall order". The Canberra Times. 24 March 2012. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
  10. ^ a b "Opals, Graf think big". The Canberra Times. 2 May 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
  11. ^ Smith-Gander, Diane, ed. (2011). "Bulleen Boomers; Official Programme". IiNet WNBL Finals Series (2010/2011 ed.). Basketball Australia: 4–5.
  12. ^ Brad Graham Creative, ed. (2012). "On the Rise; Official Event Program". Play up (19–25 February ed.). South Melbourne, Australia: Basketball Australia: 16.
  13. ^ Kasmarik, Morgan (15 October 2009). Towering Cambage on the up and up. ABC Grandstand Sport. Retrieved 6 September 2012.
  14. ^ a b Australian Institute of Sport; Basketball Australia (2011). AIS Basketball 2011. Canberra: Australian Sports Commission. p. 59. This is a booklet published by the Australian Sport Commission, has a copyright notice on the page following the cover page.
  15. ^ "Past Athletes : Australian Institute of Sport : Australian Sports Commission". Ausport.gov.au. Archived from the original on 12 February 2014. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
  16. ^ "Elizabeth Cambage". Player profile. Women's National Basketball League. Archived from the original on 13 November 2013. Retrieved 11 April 2011.
  17. ^ Liz Cambage signs with Southside Flyers, returns to WNBL
  18. ^ Bernard, Grantley (31 March 2011). "Liz Cambage keen to get WNBA show on the road". Herald Sun. Retrieved 11 April 2011.
  19. ^ a b "Opals count down to Olympics". Wwos.ninemsn.com.au. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
  20. ^ WNBA: Liz Cambage Will Not Return to Tulsa Shock For the Remainder of the 2012 Season
  21. ^ "Voepel: Cambage's return to WNBA brings tempered expectations". ESPN. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  22. ^ Liz Cambage ends five-year break from WNBA
  23. ^ "Liz Cambage the next Great Wall of China". Herald Sun. 24 June 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
  24. ^ Robinson, Georgina (7 March 2019). "'I couldn't pay my mortgage': How Liz Cambage was pushed to the limit". The Age. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  25. ^ "Dallas Wings sign Liz Cambage". WNBA.com. 5 February 2018. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
  26. ^ "'Generational talent' Wilson's 53 ties WNBA record". 23 August 2023.
  27. ^ "New York Liberty @ Dallas Wings". wbna.com. WNBA. 17 July 2018. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  28. ^ BASKETBALL Cambage breaks WNBA's two-game scoring record with 88 points
  29. ^ Liz Cambage Reportedly Requests Trade from Dallas Wings
  30. ^ Las Vegas Aces star Liz Cambage to sit out 2020 WNBA season
  31. ^ Aces expect superstar Cambage to sit out 2020 season
  32. ^ "WNBA star Liz Cambage branded racist on Twitter for calling coach 'little white man'". tech-gate.org. 25 May 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  33. ^ "Los Angeles Sparks Agree to Contract Divorce with Liz Cambage".
  34. ^ "Former Sparks star Liz Cambage steps away from WNBA 'for the time being'". The Washington Post.
  35. ^ "Liz Cambage will 'step away' from WNBA following Sparks exit to focus on 'healing and personal growth'". sports.yahoo.com. 15 August 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  36. ^ Liz Cambage had officially signed with Israeli side Maccabi Ashdod
  37. ^ a b c Australian Institute of Sport; Basketball Australia (2011). AIS Basketball 2011. Canberra: Australian Sports Commission. p. 46. This is a booklet published by the Australian Sport Commission, has a copyright notice on the page following the cover page.
  38. ^ a b Australian Institute of Sport; Basketball Australia (2011). AIS Basketball 2011. Canberra: Australian Sports Commission. p. 45. This is a booklet published by the Australian Sport Commission, has a copyright notice on the page following the cover page.
  39. ^ "Opals look to shine against China". Wwos.ninemsn.com.au. Archived from the original on 22 December 2014. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
  40. ^ "Opals limp to decider with China". Retrieved 13 November 2013.
  41. ^ "Opals side selected to take on Kiwis". Nine MSN. Archived from the original on 9 December 2012. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
  42. ^ "Jackson, Taylor to again lead the Opals". Wwos.ninemsn.com.au. Archived from the original on 14 March 2010. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
  43. ^ a b "Opals hit road for world title lead-up". Wwos.ninemsn.com.au. Archived from the original on 22 July 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
  44. ^ "Opals down Spain in final tune-up". Wwos.ninemsn.com.au. Archived from the original on 30 December 2012. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
  45. ^ a b "AUS — Opals announce training camp squad". FIBA. Archived from the original on 5 December 2012. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
  46. ^ "Basketball Australia : 2012 Squad". Basketball Australia. 2012. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
  47. ^ "Lauren Jackson says others must fill void left by injured Penny Taylor". The Daily Telegraph. Australia. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  48. ^ a b "Basketball | Athlete Profile: Elizabeth CAMBAGE - Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games". results.gc2018.com. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  49. ^ "Fiba women's basketball Australia - 2016 Rio".
  50. ^ "Opals Named for Tokyo 2020 Australian Olympic Team".
  51. ^ "Australian and WNBA star Liz Cambage withdraws from Olympics, citing mental health". 16 July 2021.
  52. ^ "Liz Cambage responds to claim she told rival: 'Go back to your third world country'". News.com.au. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  53. ^ "Gaze fumes at 'disgusting' new Cambage claim". wwos.nine.com.au. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
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