Liz Cambage to face private hearing following her heated pre-Olympic altercation

Basketball star Liz Cambage is set to face more scrutiny over her involvement in an Las Vegas incident before the Olympics which led to her shock withdrawal from the Tokyo Games.

Australian basketball star Liz Cambage has been ordered to front a private panel about her behaviour during a pre-Olympic exhibition match against Nigeria.

An investigation into the incident in Las Vegas, after which Cambage withdrew from the Australian team for the Tokyo Games, is nearing conclusion. Basketball Australia will give all parties a final chance to add to a report on the incident before the hearing.

Cambage will face an independent panel to discuss her involvement in the heated altercation that unfolded in a closed-door scrimmage against the Nigerians in July prior to the Tokyo Olympics.

If she is proven guilty in the hearing, she faces potential playing bans for the Opals and in the WNBL competition.

The Australian national team ban would be particularly damaging for Cambage, and the Opals given Sydney will host the FIBA World Cup next year.

Liz Cambage faces a private hearing following her heated altercation in a pre-Olympic warm-up game against Nigeria.

Regardless of the hearing’s outcome, Cambage must mend relationships within the Australian setup following her alleged behaviour.

The four-time WNBA All-Star has previously conceded she came to blows in a heated verbal clash.

“Yeah, things got heated in the Nigeria game. There was a physical altercation and there were words exchanged, but I’m hearing things that aren’t true at all,” Cambage said.

“Everything that happened and everything that was said is on film. I know what happened.”

Cambage withdrew from the Opals’ Tokyo Olympic campaign shortly after the incident came to light, citing mental health struggles, including panic attacks.

The Opals dropped out in the quartet-final stages in her absence.

Despite Cambage’s denials, Basketball Australia released a statement on July 19 confirming its integrity unit was investigating a “breach of the integrity framework and code of conduct”.

Now after months of investigation, including multiple interviews with Nigerian players, Cambage will front an independent hearing via zoom at the completion of the WNBA season later this month.

The Australian star is currently playing for the Las Vegas Aces, who are locked at 2-all in their semi-final series against the Phoenix Mercury.

Cambage scored nine points to help the Aces beat the Phoenix on Thursday and force a deciding game five.