LOS ANGELES, CA – The Los Angeles Sparks had a busy weekend making several moves to retool their roster and add depth at the wing and guard positions. However, the most substantial and perhaps the most interesting is the signing of All-Star center Liz Cambage.
While the signing isn’t official yet, the Sparks received verbal commitment from Cambage that she intends to sign with the team.
If and when this signing becomes official, the Sparks give themselves a huge boost to their frontcourt that already includes Nneka and Chiney Ogwumike as well as center Lauren Cox. Given the injuries both Ogwumikes suffered last year and the amount of time each missed, Cambage would provide some depth if a similar situation occurs this upcoming season.
Not to mention she’s a four-time WNBA All-Star, is one of the tallest players in the league at 6’8, and has significant playoff experience being apart of a talented Las Vegas Aces team the last four seasons. She knows what a winning environment looks like and has played alongside another former league MVP in A’ja Wilson, so playing alongside Nneka shouldn’t be a difficult transition.
Also, her brash and outspoken personality could resonate well with fans in a bigger market like Los Angeles. Cambage recently posted on Twitter about the pay disparity betweens players and coaches; the tweet came shortly after the Aces announced Becky Hammon as their new head coach and GM. Cambage claims the tweet was aimed at Hammon personally, however, it did create quite a stir throughout the sports world.
There is no question what she is capable of doing on the court when healthy. However, this signing wouldn’t necessarily be a true slam dunk for the Sparks.
The Australian center has had some health issues in recent years both physical and mental, citing some of her issues on an appearance on HBO’s talk show series, “The Shop,” produced by LeBron James and Maverick Carter. Some of it has been attributed to the strain of playing both in the WNBA and honoring her international commitments with the Australian national team during the Olympics.
(Courtesy of HBO)
Some could question her availability on the court, if those issues were to arise again. Some could also question how much is her coming to LA truly about wanting to build a winning culture with the Sparks, or is it more about getting integrated into the Hollywood scene and launching a media, fashion, or modeling career?
(Courtesy of BSalSportsGuy)
It’s not uncommon for professional athletes to want to come to the City of Angels and explore different avenues beyond their sport. Shaquille O’Neal wanted to launch a music and film career after he signed with the Lakers in 1996, and LeBron James wanted to take his media companies to new heights when he came to the Lakers in 2018, just to name a few.
Obviously both O’Neal and James led the Lakers to championships, so they were clearly able to balance their separate careers successfully while dominating on the court. Cambage could have similar success as those two as well on and off the court if able to compartmentalize her life and focus on the tasks at hand.
(Courtesy of joSports)
As far as on the court goes, this could be an opportunity for Cambage to take a significant step forward as a player. Even with Nneka sharing the front court with her, Cambage should want to dominate her opponents. Given her size, skill, and confidence, there is no reason why she shouldn’t have a Shaq-like presence in the paint and consistently present a matchup nightmare for the other team’s centers.
(Courtesy of Women Hooping)
The Sparks don’t have nearly as much star power as the Aces do, so this is a chance for Cambage to truly shine and take her game to a different level…if she wants to. The question will be does she want that shine on the court or somewhere else in LA.
