Liz Cambage and Los Angeles Sparks part ways

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The Los Angeles Sparks and four-time WNBA all-star Liz Cambage agreed to a contract divorce, the team announced Tuesday. It ends a five-month stint after the team signed Cambage in February.

Cambage, a 6-foot-8 center, averaged 13.0 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 25 games.

“We want what’s best for Liz and have agreed to part ways amicably,” Sparks Managing Partner Eric Holoman said in a news release. “The Sparks remain excited about our core group and are focused on our run towards a 2022 playoff berth.”

The Sparks (12-15) are in sixth place in the WNBA and are led by interim coach Fred Williams. The team fired Derek Fisher last month after struggling early in the season.

Before signing with the Sparks, Cambage expressed frustration with the league, leading to speculation she might not have intended to return to the WNBA.

ahhh yes the @WNBA, where a head coach can get paid 4X the highest paid players super max contract. lmao and y’all think imma spend another season upgrading my seat on a flight to get to games out of my own pocket.

— Elizabeth Cambage (@ecambage) February 1, 2022

In a statement from the league announcing Cambage’s signing in February, Fisher said: “The Sparks organization is ecstatic to partner with a dynamic person and player in Liz Cambage who will elevate the franchise on and off the court. … The addition of Liz, along with our other offseason moves, puts us in a position to compete for a WNBA championship.”

When Cambage joined Los Angeles in February, she said, “It’s always been my dream to wear the Purple & Gold and play in LA,” according to the WNBA’s announcement of her signing.

Cambage, 30, played for the Las Vegas Aces in 2019 and 2021, when she averaged 15.9 and 14.2 points. She opted out of the pandemic-altered 2020 season.

She was drafted second overall in 2011 by the Tulsa Shock, which later moved to the Dallas area and rebranded as the Wings. She averaged 11.5 points and 4.7 rebounds and was named an all-star in her rookie campaign. Following the 2013 season, Cambage took a four-season hiatus from the WNBA before spending 2018 with the Wings; she averaged a career-high 23.0 points and 9.7 rebounds that year.

Cambage has played for Australia’s national team, winning bronze at the 2012 Olympics in London. Last year Cambage was alleged to be in an altercation during a scrimmage with the Nigerian national team, though she disputed those claims. Before the Tokyo Olympics, she announced a decision to withdraw from the Games, citing mental health reasons and the “bubble” nature of the Olympics.

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