LOS ANGELES – In an offseason that has been both aggressive and productive for the Los Angeles Sparks, the signing of four-time WNBA All-Star Liz Cambage can literally be considered the biggest signing.
The 6’8 highly skilled, Australian center with a brash personality and tremendous popularity has taken her talents from the bright lights of Las Vegas to the Hollywood star lights of Los Angeles or in this case “Liz Angeles.”
Coming to L.A. was a “no brainer” as Cambage said when thinking about where she wanted to sign as a free agent.
“It was really LA or out for me,” Cambage said during her introduction press conference. “There’s nowhere else I wanted to be. This city is now home. It’s been home for a couple of years now. The opportunity to play here and work here and be apart of such a prestigious organization, it was a no-brainer. There’s nowhere else I want to be in the WNBA.”
She now gives the Sparks a dominant front court presence alongside fellow All-Star and former league MVP Nneka Ogwumike. When asked how she thinks she will fit in with the Sparks on the court, Cambage kept her answer simple.
“Right in the middle, baby, right in the middle,” Cambage said with a smile, generating laughter from the crowd and media present. “There’s so much talent here already. I’m so excited to play with Nneka, her leadership, her drive, her hard work. “I’m super excited to be with her, her sister (Chiney Ogwumike), Kristi Toliver, a vet of the game.”
Cambage joked that she wants to learn from the veterans of the team specifically mindset.
“I might have the vet age, but I don’t have the vet brain,” Cambage said. “I’m very self-aware about that, it’s something I struggled with in Vegas.”
She forms a deep front court with the Ogwumike sisters as well as centers Lauren Cox and Amanda Zahui B. with whom Cambage is close. GM/head coach Derek Fisher has also added more outside shooting, scoring, and playmaking this offseason with the additions of Jordin Canada, Katie Lou Samuelson, and Chennedy Carter to compliment a highly skilled interior.
Cambage also understands she’s joining a franchise with a lineage of iconic front court players like Nneka Ogwumike, Lisa Leslie, Candace Parker, and Tina Thompson.
“The job is not done, now that I’m here it’s time to get to work,” Cambage said. “I need to get the job done and bring a ring to LA.”
Off the court, Cambage should fit in with the culture of L.A. like a glove. She’s got the looks, personality, and platform to accomplish great things in the entertainment, media, and modeling sectors, and also interested in contributing to the communities throughout Los Angeles specifically with young men and women.
Cambage has a golden opportunity to leave her mark on this franchise and city and turn it into “Liz Angeles.”
