Former Australian Opals captain Jenna O’Hea has lifted the lid on the events that led to Liz Cambage’s infamous withdrawal from the Tokyo Olympics campaign.
Cambage pulled out of the squad’s Olympic pursuit after an on-court incident occurred during a warm-up game against Nigeria in Las Vegas last July.
While Cambage escaped a fine and suspension, she was handed a formal reprimand by an independent panel following a Basketball Australia investigation.
What truly occurred in the incident has since been mystery, but O’Hea moved to confirm that Cambage told her Nigerian counterparts to “go back to your third world country”.
“That is all one hundred per cent correct,” O’Hea said in response to whether Cambage used those words on ABC’s Offsiders.
O’Hea’s revelation comes after Cambage told the ABC that she’s living her best life after leaving the national team.
“I’m living my best life,” Cambage said.
“I’m supported, I’m protected on a level that the Opals or the Australian team never gave to me.
“My heart lies with those who want to protect me and those who want me to be the best I can be, and I never felt that at the Opals at all. So yeah, I’m good.”
O’Hea disputed those claims, adding that she always cared for and supported the star centre during her time as captain.
“I can hold my head up high and say I always loved her, always cared for her, supported her, had her back,” O’Hea said.
“Everyone’s done more than enough. We’ve sacrificed a lot to try and keep her in the program.
“She doesn’t want to be here anymore. That’s her choice and we need to move on without her.”
O’Hea, 34, announced her retirement from international and national basketball in March.
The former Opal told SEN that the Cambage incident “took a huge toll” on her and may have helped convince her to step away from the game.