Los Angeles Sparks rookie center and rising WNBA star Cameron Brink suffered a knee injury early in the first quarter during the team's game against the Connecticut Sun and will not return to the game, as per team PR.
Brink collided under the basket with Sun center Brionna Jones and fell on the court. She was able to get up but limped over to the bench and had to be carried off the court and to the locker room.
The Sparks are currently in the midst of a lengthy road trip during which they've dropped games to the Seattle Storm, Minnesota Lynx and Atlanta Dream. As of publication, the Sparks trailed by double-digits against the Sun. They have three more games remaining on this road trip after Tuesday. They will play the New York Liberty twice and then travel to play the Phoenix Mercury before returning home next month.
Cameron Brink only played four minutes for the Sparks before suffering the knee injury. She was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft after playing four seasons at Stanford. While wins have been hard to come by this season, Brink has been one of the bright spots for the team.
Cameron Brink set to play in Olympic 3×3 competition
While Cameron Brink's injury situation will surely get clarity within the coming days, the extent of the injury could jeopardize her participation in the Paris Olympics next month. Brink was selected to Team USA for 3×3 competition alongside Atlanta Dream guard Rhyne Howard, TCU guard Hailey Van Lith and former WNBA player Cierra Burdick.
The 2020 Olympics was the inaugural year for the 3×3 competition and Team USA women's basketball is the reigning gold medalist. The 2020 team was comprised of the Las Vegas Aces' Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young, the Washington Mystics' Stefanie Dolson and Atlanta Dream guard Allisha Gray.
If Brink is forced to miss extended time, it will be a major blow for the Sparks. The team is mired in a rebuild with Brink being one of the franchise cornerstones of the future. Brink has started all 14 games she's played in this season at a little over 23 minutes per game.
She's been averaging 8.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.1 steals and 2.4 blocked shots with splits of 39.8 percent shooting from the field, 32.3 percent shooting from the three-point line and 84 percent shooting from the free-throw line. Brink is also averaging 4.2 fouls per game. Staying on the court and out of foul trouble has been one of areas of improvement needed for Brink.
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