Basketball-Australia opens code of conduct probe into Cambage

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Australia's basketball federation has launched a code of conduct investigation into centre Liz Cambage following reports of a heated clash with Nigerian team players in an Olympic warmup game in the United States.

The 29-year-old pulled out of Australia's Olympic squad last week citing mental health issues ahead of the team's departure from Las Vegas, where they have been completing their pre-Games preparations.

"The circumstances surrounding the incident that occurred during the scrimmage between Nigeria and Australia involving Liz Cambage are currently under investigation for a breach of the integrity framework and code of conduct," Basketball Australia (BA) said in a statement on Monday.

"As Liz has withdrawn from the Olympic Games due to mental health reasons we will not make any comments on the status of the investigation until the matter is concluded."

The investigation is being managed by BA's integrity division.

Cambage, who was born to a Nigerian father, admitted there was a "heated" altercation during the Nigeria game and said "words (were) exchanged" in a social media post on Friday.

But she added that lies were being spread and people were trying to "tear (her) down".

Melbourne's Herald Sun newspaper reported last week that Cambage had breached the team's hotel bubble in Las Vegas to go out and her team mates had complained about her to management.

Las Vegas Aces centre Cambage said she had left her hotel room only once to attend the WNBA All-Star game against Team USA in Las Vegas last Wednesday.

(Reporting by Ian Ransom; Editing by Tomasz Janowski)