Liz Cambage, 'grateful to be again' after bout with COVID-19, returns as Las Vegas Aces notch victory

7:26 PM ET

Mechelle VoepelESPN.com

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Mechelle Voepel covers the WNBA, ladies's school basketball, and other school activities for espnW. Voepel started overlaying women's basketball in 1984, and has been with ESPN on account that 1996.

Las Vegas center Liz Cambage again to WNBA video game motion for the first time on account that Aug. 28 in Sunday's general-season finale, after dealing with COVID-19. She performed 9½ minutes and had four aspects and four rebounds as the Aces gained eighty four-83 at Phoenix.

"After mendacity in bed for 2½ weeks, I've misplaced my cardio a bit of," Cambage referred to on a postgame video call. "i'm just very grateful the COVID did not get in my lungs, and i suppose I've obtained the vaccine to thank for that. i am grateful to be returned with the women; it was complicated."

since the Aces are the No. 2 seed within the upcoming WNBA playoffs, they've a double bye into the top of the line-of-five semifinals that beginning Sept. 28. That gives Cambage a chance to work on conditioning.

"The women truly held it down and locked into that 2nd spot, and that's actually going to assist me get back into it," Cambage said of the Aces, who secured their seed Friday and entire 24-8 with Sunday's win. "They need a destroy and i deserve to turn it up. they'll get their relaxation and i'll try to seize up with them. I lost 15 pounds with this, so i am going to be relocating easy on the courtroom."

Cambage, 30, noted she started to consider physique aches after the Aces again domestic from a three-video game street travel in late August. She entered COVID-19 protocol and isolated with complications and chronic body aches.

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"i am so fortunate my mama is in town all of the manner from Australia," Cambage said. "i'm so grateful she turned into right here to take care of me and get me lower back on my feet, and that she did not get [COVID-19]. She's the precise MVP in the meanwhile."

Cambage believes here is her 2d bout with COVID-19; in the first, her respiratory device become impacted. In March 2020, she wrote on Instagram that she thinks she gotten smaller COVID-19 in December 2019 while enjoying in China. She was told then that it was a "viral an infection," and it resulted in a short hospitalization. Cambage talked about it took more than a month for her lungs to be free of phlegm.

She didn't play in the WNBA's bubble in Bradenton, Florida, last season as she received a medical exemption.