Opals prima Liz Cambage has sent a connection of enactment to the Nigerian women's hoops team, conscionable a fewer weeks aft she withdrew from the Tokyo Olympics pursuing an incidental during a warm-up scrimmage against them.
Cambage, who is of Nigerian descent connected her father's side, sent a video to the D'Tigress squad wishing them luck successful their Games campaign.
"To each my D'Tigress family, bully luck astatine the Olympics," Cambage, 29, said successful the station earlier Nigeria faced the US women's team.
"Go get immoderate hard metal. Let's go."
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On the aforesaid day, the Opals began their Tokyo run against Belgium, suffering a daze 85-70 loss.
Two weeks agone Cambage amazingly withdrew from the Aussie broadside for the Olympics citing wellness reasons. Her determination followed a verbal and carnal altercation successful a closed Olympics warm-up crippled against Nigeria successful Las Vegas which is inactive shrouded successful secrecy.
Basketball Australia confirmed aft the incidental that Cambage's relation successful the contention was nether probe "for a breach of the integrity model and codification of conduct", but fewer details of what really happened person been revealed
Nigeria's skipper provided nary further accusation astir the incidental successful Vegas.
"It's thing that happened down closed doors," Adaora Elonu told News Corp.
"There's thing we tin truly speech astir with that.
"Us arsenic a country, arsenic Nigerians, we clasp everyone arsenic Nigerian," Elonu added.
"And she's (Cambage) half-Nigerian, so, technically, we conscionable spot her arsenic Nigerian.
"So, we clasp her arsenic 1 of us, bully oregon bad."
Nigeria went connected to triumph their opening Games clash against the Americans, 82-71.
Ranked 2nd successful the FIBA rankings down the USA, the Opals are considered large golden medal contenders successful Tokyo, but the exit of the 6-foot-8 seasoned centre was a immense stroke connected the eve of the Olympics.
In a connection aft her withdrawal, Cambage "wished the squad well" arsenic she focuses connected her health.
"Anyone that knows maine knows 1 of my biggest dreams is winning an Olympic golden medal with the Opals. Every jock competing successful the Olympic games should beryllium astatine their intelligence and carnal peak, and astatine the moment," she said.
"I'm a agelong mode from wherever I privation and request to be.
"It's nary concealed that successful the past I've struggled with my intelligence wellness and precocious I've been truly disquieted astir heading into a "bubble" Olympics. No family. No friends. No fans. No enactment strategy extracurricular of my team. It's honestly terrifying for me. The past period I person been having panic attacks, not sleeping and not eating.
"Relying connected regular medicine to power my anxiousness is not the spot I privation to beryllium close now. Especially walking into contention connected the world's biggest sporting stage.
"I cognize myself, and I cognize I can't beryllium the Liz everyone deserves to spot vie for the Opals. Not close present astatine least. I request to instrumentality attraction of myself mentally and physically.
"It breaks my bosom to denote I'm withdrawing from the Olympics, but I deliberation it's champion for the Opals and myself. I privation them thing but the champion of luck successful Tokyo and I anticipation they spell distant and triumph a golden medal. Love and light," she concluded.
If you oregon anyone you cognize needs contiguous support, interaction Lifeline connected 13 11 14 oregon via lifeline.org.au. In an emergency, telephone 000.
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