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Las Vegas Aces center Liz Cambage announced on social media early Friday morning that she will be withdrawing from the 2021 Summer Olympics. The WNBA All-Star cited in her statement that her mental health and being in a bubble in the Olympics played a large role in her decision.
— Elizabeth Cambage (@ecambage) July 16, 2021
Cambage was gearing up to play in her third Olympics for Team Australia and was looking to lead them to a gold medal. Earlier this week, it was reported that the Opals center was involved in a physical altercation and verbal exchange during a scrimmage against Nigeria.
The Opals were planning on making a decision about that incident before the 29-year-old Cambage announced that she would be withdrawing. AOC chef de Mission Ian Chesterman released a statement not too long ago after Cambage’s decision on Friday.
“Liz has made a great contribution to the Australian Olympic Team over two Olympic Games campaigns. We respect her decision and wish her the best in returning to full health,” he said (h/t ESPN). Team Australia is scheduled to play Team USA in an exhibition game at 2:30 p.m. ET on Friday.