Three days after withdrawing from the Tokyo Olympics, Liz Cambage is under investigation, Basketball Australia confirmed Monday.
“The circumstances surrounding the incident that occurred during the scrimmage between Nigeria and Australia involving Liz Cambage are currently under investigation for a breach of the integrity framework and code of conduct,” Basketball Australia said in a statement.
Cambage withdrew from the Opals team to care for her mental and physical health, she said in a separate statement — at the same time reports claim she was involved in controversial incidents at the team’s camp in Las Vegas, including an alleged altercation with a fellow teammate.
The Aces star is being investigated by BA’s “Integrity Division.”
“As Liz has withdrawn from the Olympic Games due to mental health reasons we will not make any comments on the status of the investigation until the matter is concluded,” the statement said.
Cambage, according to multiple reports, breached the Australian team bubble in Las Vega numerous times.
In since-expired videos, posted to her Instagram story Saturday, Cambage acknowledged an incident occurred in the Nigeria game, but didn’t divulge any details.
“Yeah, things got heated in the Nigeria game,” she said. “There was a physical altercation and there were words exchanged, but I’m hearing things that aren’t true at all.
“Everything that happened and everything that was said is on film.”
She also denied leaving the bubble, and said the only time she left her Vegas hotel room was for the WNBA All-Star game.
“I don’t appreciate the lies. Don’t you ever get sick of lying on my name?,” Cambage said, noting that “there ain’t point in dragging someone over there that’s already feeling mentally weak.”
In the same clip, Cambage explained withdrawing from the Tokyo Olympics was “one of the hardest decisions of my life,” and noted her decision “has been coming.”
“I’ve been having breakdowns in the parking lot at Whole Foods, nonstop panic attacks and hyperventilating,” she said about the thought of being confined to the Olympic Village in Tokyo amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I’m not okay in a bubble. I’m not okay not playing in front of fans,”
Cambage added that she feels “so much better already” after backing out of the Summer Games.
“I’m wishing my Opal sisters nothing but love and victory and protection heading over to Tokyo, all the teams as well,” she said, adding, “I’m going on vacation for two weeks.”
On the same day Cambage announced she would not participate in the Summer Games, the Australian Olympics Committee wished her well in a tweet about the news.