Liz Cambage is returning to the basketball court. The former WNBA star has signed a three-month contract worth $1 million to join Chinese team Sichuan.
The contract is set to begin next year, per a report from an Australian newspaper, includes significant bonus clauses in addition to the base salary.
Cambage, who left the WNBA in July 2022 after a fallout with the Los Angeles Sparks, has criticized the U.S. league for its low salaries. The WNBA supermax salary for 2024 is set at $241,984, a quarter of what Cambage is set to make for her stint in China.
Conflict on and off the court marred Cambage’s time with the Sparks. Reports emerged of Cambage criticizing teammates, expressing discontent with her role on the team and taking a jersey number from a teammate. The 32-year-old center also had a falling out with the Australian national team following allegations of racism toward the Nigerian national team.
Cambage signed with Maccabi Bnot Ashdod, a team in Israel’s Division I league, in March.
Her next international gig is a return to familiar territory for Cambage, who has spent significant time playing in China. She joined the Zhejiang Golden Bulls of the Chinese Basketball Association back in 2012, and she also has played for the Beijing Great Wall and Shanghai Swordfish. Her last stint in China was with the Shanxi Flame from 2018 to 2019.
“I have always loved my time in China and I am really looking forward to getting out onto the court again,” she told Australia’s Herald Sun. “It’s one of the strongest leagues in the world and I have played many seasons there over the years.”