Amid rumors that Liz Cambage “quit” the team after playing 24 games in Los Angeles, she and the Sparks have agreed to a “contract divorce,” the team announced Tuesday.

“It is with support that we share Liz Cambage’s decision to terminate her contract with the organization,” said Sparks Managing Partner Eric Holoman. “We want what’s best for Liz and have agreed to part ways amicably. The Sparks remain excited about our core group and are focused on our run towards a 2022 playoff berth.”

According to a Yahoo Sports report, Cambage exited the locker room after her team’s 84-66 loss to the Aces, her former squad, and left the team with a parting message: “I can’t do this anymore. Best of luck to you guys.”

Cambage is not the first to go through a contract divorce this season. It’s a term WNBA fans have heard four other times in 2022. The most significant, and most recent, was that of eight-time All-Star Tina Charles, who departed the Mercury on June 25 before joining the Storm. Angel McCoughtry (Lynx), Jantel Lavender (Fever) and Bria Hartley (Fever) have also negotiated contract divorces from their respective teams.

Here’s Cambage’s situation, explained.

What is a contract divorce?

A contract divorce is pretty much what it sounds like. The two parties — in this case, Cambage and the Sparks — agree to terminate their legally binding agreement in a way in which both sides benefit. Essentially, it’s a fancy term for a buyout.

Cambage, who signed a one-year, $170,000 deal with the Sparks in February, reportedly agreed to $141,386 in exchange for the contract divorce. That figure reflects the per-game rate of the 25 games she played for the Sparks this season.

The Sparks’ chemistry issues have been building all season, according to multiple reports. While a preseason of heightened expectations turned into lackluster performances, the sixth-place Sparks remain in the playoff hunt at 12-15 with nine games to play. The team clearly feels it will no longer benefit from Cambage’s services, and the 30-year-old no longer wishes to play for L.A.

What does it mean for the Sparks?

Beyond what was going on behind the scenes and in conversations and body language on the court, the 6-foot-8 center was making an impact on the Sparks’ box score. She was L.A.’s second-leading scorer and rebounder, averaging 13 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. Defensively, she led the Sparks with 1.6 blocks per contest.

Without Cambage, the Sparks will need to find someone — or more than likely, a combination of people — to replace her 24.5 minutes per game. At first glance, losing Cambage’s on-court abilities isn’t ideal for the playoff hopeful Sparks. But chemistry issues among players have a way of coming out in high-pressure situations. Replacing Cambage won’t be easy, but it’s better to part ways now than to wait and have the team fall apart in the postseason. At least this way, the Sparks have time to figure out a solution.

As it stands, their options at the post position are limited. After Nneka Ogwumike, who at 18.7 points and 6.8 rebounds per game is likely maxed out in terms of production, the Sparks have four forwards/centers listed on their roster. One is Katie Lou Samuelson, who is more of a guard. They will likely turn to Chiney Ogwumike, who out of the remaining forwards plays the most minutes (18.5) and has the highest production (7.5 points). After her, Olivia Nelson-Ododa and Jasmine Walker combine to average 4.2 points per game.

To make matters worse, Cambage’s departure isn’t the only dramatic exit the Sparks have endured in recent years.

In 2021, both Candace Parker and Chelsea Gray left the team as free agents, with Parker signing with the Sky and Gray with the Aces. Losing a player in free agency isn’t as dramatic as a contract divorce, of course, but it begs the question: “How did L.A. lose not one, but two top talents to other teams?”

It wasn’t a good look for the Sparks, and led to continued questions about coach and GM Derek Fisher’s leadership. Those questions came to a head on June 7 when he was let go.

There’s also the issue of Chennedy Carter, who signed with the Sparks in free agency after a contentious 2021 season with the Dream. Despite internal opposition to the move, as The Athletic has reported, Fisher pushed for the Sparks to trade for Carter. The guard, after not playing the second half of last season while suspended, has averaged just 15.3 minutes across 19 games for Los Angeles this year.

The Sparks, despite all the turmoil, are somehow still in the playoff hunt. The best they can do at this point is muddle through the rest of the season, hope for a playoff berth and then get to work on a total rebuild in the offseason.

What does it mean for Liz Cambage?

This isn’t the first time Cambage has been embroiled in controversy. Most recently she had a messy exit from the Opals, Australia’s women’s national team. In November, Cambage was reprimanded for an on-court altercation during a practice game with Nigeria. She then withdrew from the Tokyo Olympic team, citing mental health concerns and eventually said on Instagram that she would never play for the team again.

The exact details of the altercation are unknown, with plenty of rumors swirling. But former Opals teammate Jenna O’Hea confirmed to Australian journalist Kelli Underwood in May that Cambage had told Nigerian players to “go back to your third world country.”

Cambage denies the claim.

It’s not a stretch to see the connections between Cambage’s supposed comments about Nigeria and her exit from the Sparks. Nneka and Chiney Ogwumike, two of her LA teammates, are Nigerian and seeking to play for the Nigerian national team.

It’s also not a stretch to say that we may not see Cambage in the WNBA again.

After Cambage’s rookie season with the Tulsa Shock in 2011, she left the WNBA for four seasons because she didn’t want to play for the franchise. Her exit from Tulsa started in 2012, when Cambage said she would sit out the rest of the season following the Olympics due to exhaustion. She did not return to Tulsa, instead choosing to sign with a team in China.

It’s worth noting that Cambage has not played more than one consecutive season with any WNBA squad since being drafted in 2011, a tenure that included stops in Dallas and Las Vegas. With her latest departure, Cambage may no longer be a risk teams are willing to take.

Eden Laase is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @eden_laase.

US tennis star and world No. 12 Amanda Anisimova continued her breakthrough 2025 Wimbledon run on Thursday, taking down No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka to punch a ticket to her first career Grand Slam final.

"This doesn't feel real right now," Anisimova said after winning the 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 semifinal thriller. "I don't know how I pulled it out."

"It was such a rollercoaster match," the 23-year-old told ESPN. "[Sabalenka] is such a tough competitor, and I really had to give it my all to fight there to get the win."

As the first US player to reach a Wimbledon final since Serena Williams in 2019 — and the youngest from the US since Williams' 2004 run — Anisimova's meteoric 2025 rise comes just 18 months after she took an extended mental health break from tennis.

"A lot of people told me that you would never make it to the top again if you take so much time away from the game," she said. "So just me being able to prove that you can get back to the top if you prioritize yourself, that's been incredibly special to me."

Anisimova's semifinal win also continues a unique pattern for her home country, as Saturday's championship match is now the fourth straight Grand Slam final to feature a US player — a streak dating back to No. 3 Jessica Pegula's 2024 US Open championship appearance.

Even more, should Anisimova emerge victorious on Saturday, she'll join 2025 Australian Open champion No. 8 Madison Keys and 2025 French Open winner No. 2 Coco Gauff in continuing a US sweep of this year's Grand Slams.

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Anisimova to face Świątek in 2025 Wimbledon final

To do so, however, Anisimova will have to defeat five-time Grand Slam winner and world No. 4 Iga Świątek in what will be the pair's first-ever senior-level match on Saturday.

Like Anisimova, the 24-year-old Polish phenom is on an unexpected Wimbledon run, as the London Slam's grass courts have historically hampered the clay-court specialist.

That said, Świątek dominated her Thursday semifinal against Switzerland's No. 35 Belinda Bencic, booking her spot in Saturday's title match in two quick 6-2, 6-0 sets.

"Tennis keeps surprising me," she said after the match. "I thought I had experienced everything on the court, but I hadn't experienced playing well on grass. That's the first time."

"Honestly, I never even dreamt that it was possible for me to play the [Wimbledon] finals, so I'm just super excited and proud of myself," Świątek added.

As for Anisimova, she's taking her championship match against the decorated Świątek in stride.

"I'm sure it'll be an amazing match. Getting to compete against an unbelievable player again is going to be super special," said the rising US star.

"Obviously I haven't been in a Grand Slam final before, but I've experienced a lot of moments similar and a lot of high-stakes matches," Anisimova noted. "I'm just gonna go out and enjoy every moment and try to not think about what’s on the line."

How to watch the 2025 Wimbledon championship match

With this year's tournament guaranteed to crown a first-time Wimbledon champion, Anisimova will battle Świątek for the London Slam's trophy at 11 AM ET on Saturday.

The final will air live on ESPN.

Legendary USWNT attacker Tobin Heath officially announced her retirement from soccer on Thursday, nearly three years after playing her final professional match.

"Over New Year's, I actually came to the full acceptance that I wasn't going to be playing," the 37-year-old explained on her podcast, The RE-CAP Show.

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In her 13 years with the senior national team, Heath — widely regarded as one of the most technical players in US history — earned two World Cup titles (2015, 2019) and three Olympic medals (gold in 2008 and 2012, and bronze in 2021).

Across her 181 USWNT caps, the 2016 US Soccer Athlete of the Year logged 36 goals and 42 assists, making her final appearance for the States on October 26th, 2021.

At the club level, Heath spent seven seasons with the Portland Thorns, helping the team to NWSL Championships in 2013 and 2017, as well as the 2016 NWSL Shield.

While her career also included European stints with the Première Ligue's PSG as well as WSL sides Manchester United and Arsenal, Heath ended her pro run with the 2022 NWSL Shield-winning Seattle Reign, playing what would be her final soccer match on August 14th of that year.

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Injury ends Heath's soccer career

The end of Heath's career is not what the creative, nutmegging winger anticipated.

"I thought I was literally going to be peeled off the field," Heath told The Athletic on Wednesday.

However, a 2022 serious left knee injury left Heath unable to play soccer — even at a casual level — ultimately forcing her retirement.

"I tried f---ing everything to get back, I spent tens of thousands of dollars and [had] two surgeries, one crazy surgery," Heath said on her podcast. "And the whole time I believed I was going to get back."

"Football is a 360-degree sport, and I can't do it," she told The Athletic. "So that part is the hardest part. The actual playing of soccer is gone."

Heath still working to lift up women's soccer in retirement

Despite coming to terms with the end of her on-pitch career, Heath isn't leaving the world of soccer anytime soon, helping lead the newly launched World Sevens Football and joining FIFA's technical study group for the men's Club World Cup.

Elevating football — particularly the women's game — is a pursuit that began for Heath with the Portland Thorns.

"[Portland] showed what women's sports could be," she explained. "I was dreaming of the world that I wanted to create."

The 2019 World Cup run then solidified that mission, with the USWNT adding a fourth star to their crest while also facing a pressure-cooker of expectations amid political tension and a contentious fight for equal pay.

"You can't feel what we felt...and not believe that you're doing something so f---ing important for the world," said Heath.

"You feel that responsibility — and that's what it is — and you want to keep carrying that responsibility as far forward as you can."

USWNT and Chelsea FC forward Mia Fishel is officially heading back to the States, with the Seattle Reign announcing that the 24-year-old signed with the NWSL club on Thursday.

The multi-year deal will see Fishel join Seattle through the 2029 season on a contract reportedly worth nearly $2.5 million — the largest cumulative deal in NWSL history.

"We're absolutely thrilled to bring Mia into our squad," said Seattle head coach Laura Harvey in a club statement. "Mia's ability to disrupt defenses, finish in different ways makes her a dangerous addition to our group."

"Mia is a player with tremendous upside — a goal-scorer with presence, creativity, and a drive to keep growing," added Reign GM Lesle Gallimore.

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Notably, though the Orlando Pride originally drafted the San Diego product and UCLA alum in 2022, this week's move will see Fishel make her domestic debut, with the young talent opting to start her pro career in Mexico.

In her single season with powerhouse Tigres UANL, Fishel notched 17 goals in 17 games to become the first foreign athlete to win the Liga MX Golden Boot, all while leading the team to a league championship.

Following her Liga MX success, Fishel signed with Chelsea, spending two seasons with the WSL champions — though a February 2024 ACL tear limited the young attacker's impact on both club and country over the last 16 months.

Nicknamed "Big Fish," the NWSL debutant has big plans for her upcoming lengthy tenure with Seattle.

"I knew coming to the States, I'm gonna be on a team for the long run," Fishel told reporters. "I wasn't expecting to just hop from team to team. Like, no, I want to put stakes in the ground. I want to eventually lead this team."

This weekend's WNBA slate will see the No. 8 Indiana Fever aiming to right the ship, as the once-projected postseason contenders try to make a push prior to next weekend's 2025 All-Star break.

Despite seeing Caitlin Clark return from injury on Wednesday, the Fever will enter the weekend on a two-game losing streak.

"You should look yourself in the mirror and find ways you can get better, and then come back to practice tomorrow, and play again on Friday," Clark said after Indiana's 80-61 Wednesday loss to Golden State.

There's no immediate assist in the Fever's upcoming schedule, however, as they kick off the weekend against an Atlanta side that feeds on mismatches in the paint:

• No. 4 Atlanta Dream vs. No. 8 Indiana Fever, Friday at 7:30 PM ET (ION): The Dream can put any team in a blender with their size and stretch capabilities, and Indiana will need solid three-point shooting to upend Atlanta.

• No. 6 Golden State Valkyries vs. No. 9 Las Vegas Aces, Saturday at 4 PM ET (CBS): The short-handed Aces will hope to pounce on Golden State's mercurial road form, as Las Vegas tries to keep climbing the standings following a middling season start.

• No. 4 Atlanta Dream vs. No. 3 New York Liberty, Sunday at 3 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): An injury-hampered New York will try to hold on against the formidable Dream, as the reigning champion Liberty keep battling while waiting for starters to return.