Australian basketball gun Liz Cambage today executed one of the most devastating plays the WNBA has ever seen, and she did it before even taking to the court: the Las Vegas Aces centre wore a shirt featuring her own ESPN Body Issue photoshoot ahead of a crucial semifinal playoff.
In case you missed it, Cambage was one of 20 athletes chosen to feature in ESPN’s September celebration of sportspeople and their miraculous rigs. A series of artful nude portraits, posted on the ESPN website, celebrate the body of a player born to be a basketball phenomenon.
One of those photos wound up on Cambage’s shirt before today’s game against the Washington Mystics, representing a literal and metaphorical flex from the 206cm baller.
.@ecambage rocking the Body Issue shirt ahead of Game 4 🔥 (via @WNBA)#WNBAPlayoffspic.twitter.com/n9FJml5Ckq
— espnW (@espnW) September 25, 2019
The move was well received by fans online – with the exception of Mystics diehards, who essentially wanted their team to shut out the semifinal series.
LIZ CAMBAGE IS WEARING A T- SHIRT OF HERSELF FROM THE BODY ISSUE pic.twitter.com/oXM8HTqDuv
— whitney medworth (@its_whitney) September 25, 2019
Nobody
Not a single soul
Liz Cambage flexed on everyone and they mama by wearing herself posing naked on her shirt. We HAVE TO STANpic.twitter.com/9mzFcaie4B
— stas (@AstasiaWill) September 25, 2019
Liz Cambage is wearing a shirt of Liz Cambage posing naked for ESPN’s The Body issue.
This. Is. A. Flex. https://t.co/vt3RRdsPJt
— Michael Sykes, II (@MikeDSykes) September 25, 2019
The post-script to this saga is less triumphant. The Mystics won today’s game 90-94, ending Cambage’s season. Still, the Australian still managed to be the equal-highest scoring player on the court with 25 to her name, in addition to a game-high 12 rebounds.
You can read ESPN’s excellent Body Issue profile of Cambage here.
