Australian basketball star Liz Cambage has broken her silence on her bombshell withdrawal from the Tokyo Olympics with an explosive Instagram rant.
Cambage, 29, vanished from the Opals camp in Las Vegas on Friday and teammates as well as officials were not aware of her whereabouts.
On Friday afternoon (AEST), Cambage confirmed via her social media she won't be on the plane to Tokyo.
Early on Saturday morning she told fans she was at 'breaking point' and confirmed reports she was involved in an altercation during the Opals' warm-up game against Nigeria.
But she slammed the 'fake news and lies' when addressing allegations she had been partying in Las Vegas.
Cambage, 29, doesn't feel she would cope living in a bubble away from family and friends in Tokyo for the Games - and has confirmed she won't play in the Olympics
'Here we go again... This decision has been a few days in the making but I've been at breaking point for a month or so now,' she said.
'But as soon as I put out that little statement yesterday and made the final decision, I felt a world of anxiety and pressure and heaviness I have been carrying lift straight off me.
'I'm pretty annoyed at all the fake news and the lies I'm seeing floating around in news articles and being shown and being asked about.'
On Friday, Cambage told her fans she had made the decision to quit the Tokyo Games.
'Every athlete competing at the Olympic Games should be at their mental and physical peak, and I am a long where from where I want and need to be,' Cambage said on her Instagram page.
'It's no secret I have had my struggles with mental health in the past and living in a bubble without family and friends (in Tokyo) is honestly terrifying for me.
'Relying on daily medication to control my anxiety is not the place I want to be right now.
'It breaks my heart to withdraw from the Olympics, but I think it is the best decision for the Opals and myself right now.'
Cambage's erratic behaviour in Las Vegas this week infuriated teammates and team officials - before she announced she won't be playing in Tokyo
Australian basketball star Liz Cambage has confirmed she won't play in the Tokyo Olympics
Cambage went on to wish her Opals teammates 'nothing but the best of luck in Tokyo' and said she hopes they 'go forth and win a gold medal.'
Earlier on Friday, it emerged the two-time Olympian was involved in a physical altercation during a warm up match against Nigeria earlier this week, which resulted in an episode of verbal abuse.
The four-time WNBA All-Star reportedly also broke team protocols to socialise with friends in Nevada, where she has been a standout with local side Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA.
Additionally, team officials were believed to be investigating another possible incident, with Cambage on the
