The Chicago Sky vs. Liz Cambage’s trash talk, explained

Liz Cambage had already been whistled for a technical foul before she collided with backup big Cheyenne Parker. In the second quarter, Cambage hit a tough bucket over Sky center Stefanie Dolson and let her hear about it by screaming in her face. But the bump with Parker in the third was the final straw.

When Parker picked herself up from the ground, she marched toward Cambage, shouting “don’t f—ing touch me.” Typically, that’s when players need to be separated, but Cambage didn’t move an inch. The 6’8 All-Star’s clapback came in a flurry of unimpressed facial expressions looking down on 6’4 Parker. Only Parker was given a tech.

Here’s a closer look:

Cambage’s face said it all. The Chicago Sky’s beef with her runs deeper than last night’s game. Sky coach James Wade gave a passionate postgame speech to media after the Aces 100-85 win, saying he’d sent plays involving Cambage from their Aug. 9 matchup to the league for review.

“She was able to do anything she wanted,” Wade said, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. “And I was tired of it. They called it, they sent her to the free-throw line for everything. That was absolutely atrocious.”

At the time of publication, the Chicago Sky did not respond to a request for further information about Wade’s video submissions or if the franchise reached out to the league about Cambage after Sunday night’s game.

Frustration from the game ran onto Twitter afterward. Sky veteran and All-Star Allie Quigley tweeted about Cambage, saying: “It’s a shame that someone who has struggled with mental illness continuously calls people a fat a$$ on the court. Not the first time. And people wonder how/where depression starts. Be better. Just play.”

Cambage, who published a personal essay with The Player’s Tribune about her battle with anxiety depression on Aug. 11, denied Quigley’s accusation that she called anyone a “fatass.”

“WHY TELL LIES?!” Cambage said on Twitter. “I may talk shit but I never called anyone a fatass. And if I do ever say someone has a fatass [sic] it’s because they got a nice booty, so I know I never said that tonight.”

Parker posted a picture of her and Cambage’s confrontation on her Instagram story saying “PETIODTT!!! [sic] Come for my teammate I’m coming for you!”

Dolson doubled down on Quigley’s accusation, tweeting: “I heard what I heard. Ain’t no lies here. And apparently the ref heard it too.”

With the playoffs just three weeks away, we have a new matchup to root for. The Aces clinched a spot in the postseason after beating the Sky, and Chicago currently sits at No. 5 in the standings with a 15-11 record. This might not be the last of the beef.