“Basketball was a part of me, but it wasn’t all of me,” said former WNBA player Elizabeth Cambage in response to her OnlyFans reports. As an OnlyFans creator, Cambage supposedly makes over $1.5 million a year—far more than her WNBA pay cheques. Cambage’s bold career change has now sparked conversation regarding women’s sports. But why did she choose this unusual route?

After leaving WNBA, Liz Cambage signed a three-month contract with Sichuan Yuanda of the Women’s Chinese Basketball Association (WCBA) in 2023, worth $1 million. There was no stopping her after that. With 23.1 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game, Cambage helped her team run to the WCBA Finals.

Even though she technically hadn’t retired from the WNBA, her leaving was the end of her time in the league. Some thought Cambage’s basketball career was over, but is it?

Her recent Instagram story made it clear that she is not retired, despite the rumors to the contrary: “It really worries me how stupid the Internet is. Like, y’all will write a whole story and not do one lick of research. I’m retired??’ I’m literally in season. I have a game tonight, and I have the largest female contract in the f-cking planet. Y’all never wanna write about that.” This is a big turnaround for Cambage. As her $1 million deal surpasses the earning potential of a WNBA Supermax contract currently capped at $234,936 per season.

Cambage has started to forge her own way, demonstrating her adaptability beyond the basketball court. Soon after, she joined OnlyFans, Cambage expressed  “This is about owning my own brand and celebrating who I am.” Interestingly, Cambage reportedly made more in her first week in OnlyFans than she did throughout her entire WNBA career. But is it the sole reason she’s left the WNBA?

Why did Elizabeth Cambage leave the WNBA?

Her time with the Los Angeles Sparks was cut short after claims of a “toxic situation”. Cambage mentioned dealing with “disrespect” and “turbulent players in the locker room”. Cambage decided to step away from the WNBA in August 2022, saying she needed time for “healing and personal growth.” 

It was her personal reasons that saw Cambage depart from the WNBA. She talked really openly about how she needed to heal and grow both mentally and emotionally. In her departure statement, Cambage said she was “hopeful that the WNBA will do their part in creating safer environments and a stronger support system for their players.”

Cambage’s foray into modeling and creative endeavors reflects her desire to showcase dimensions of herself beyond basketball. OnlyFans has enabled her to connect with fans on her terms, as well as new opportunities. But her move hasn’t been without some criticism. Addressing her critics, she noted, “Not everyone will understand my choices, and that’s okay.”

In more ways than one, Cambage’s transition into content creator has been bigger than her title as a basketball star. She has proved that athletes can take off those old ways of being tied into boxes. And experiment with, but still stay true to themselves. Cambage keeps breaking barriers whether she’s doing it by dominating on the court or online with no apologies.