Liz Cambage is set to avoid suspension after being ejected from the WCBA Finals game in China over the weekend, as the Australian basketballer finds herself tangled in yet another ugly incident.
Cambage recently joined Chinese local league team Sichuan Yuanda, signing a three-month contract reportedly worth more than $1 million AUD.
But the 32-year-old’s stint in China has already endured its first major controversy after she received two flagrant fouls before being ejected from the game against Inner Mongolia.
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Cambage slapped a rival player in the head before brutally elbowing another late in the fourth quarter. Despite the two ugly incidents, Cambage remained on the court until a replay of the footage was reviewed by match officials.
She was then promptly ejected and had to be escorted off the court by her teammate, with the fuming ex Opals star giving the referee a spray directly in his face and bowing to the crowd along the baseline before making her way down the tunnel.
Despite the on-court controversy it is reported the star will escape a ban ahead of the team’s deciding finals series game on Tuesday night, after losing 96-85 following Cambage’s theatrical display.
The ex-Australian player’s behaviour sparked significant backlash, with fans and reporters, such as ESPN’s Steve Smith labelling Cambage’s actions as “clown behaviour.”
“She won’t stop until she’s banned from each continent,” one X user said.
“She’s got no class or respect for the game, her team or her teammates, watching this was honestly embarrassing.”
Cambage has been unable to escape the drama over the last three years, after her ugly incident while playing for the Opals against Nigeria resulted in her famous axing from Australia’s Tokyo Olympic campaign on the eve of the tournament.
The incident – where she allegedly told a Nigerian player to “go back to their third world country” – was her final time competing in the green and gold jersey.
Cambage repeatedly denied the allegations, despite former Opals captain Jenna O’Hea verifying the comments, and withdrew from the Tokyo Olympics for mental health reasons.
Her downward career spiral continued in 2022 when she effectively ended her WNBA career after walking out on the Los Angeles Sparks.
Cambage most recently joined Israel-based team Maccabi Bnot Ashdod early last year and will return to the court in China for the WCBA Finals on Tuesday night.
The Opals have qualified for Paris and will be aiming to make a return to the Olympic podium following a disappointing early exit in Tokyo amid the Cambage scandal.
