When the Los Angeles Sparks tip off the 2025 WNBA season on Friday against the Golden State Valkyries, they will not have Cameron Brink in the lineup as she continues her injury recovery. Brink suffered an ACL tear that cut her rookie season short. Ahead of the Sparks’ season opener, head coach Lynne Roberts gave an update on when Brink might return to the lineup.

“We don’t know the timeline, but she’s at home now, just getting all the things she needs to do there,” Roberts said. “She’s with us in spirit, but she’ll be back when she’s ready to roll. And we don’t know exactly when, but she’s working hard and she’s integrated. She’s part of the team.”

“She’s doing really, really well,” Roberts continued. “Sometimes with injuries, every ‘body’ is different. Not everybody, but every ‘body.’ We’re listening to the doctors and following their recommendations. But she looks great and I’m incredibly proud of how hard she’s working. We can’t wait to get her back.”

Cameron Brink’s road to injury recovery

The Sparks selected Cameron Brink with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, and the prevailing thought was they were getting a foundational player. Those beliefs were vindicated at least through the first month of Brink’s rookie year.

Brink was looking like a potential All-Defensive First Team player. Before the injury, she was averaging 2.3 blocked shots, which by the end of the season, ended up sticking at second in the league behind only A’ja Wilson’s 2.6.

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The former Stanford star appeared in 15 games and was in the starting lineup from the get-go. She averaged 7.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.1 steals and 2.3 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.

During Sparks media day earlier this week, Brink spoke about her injury recovery, while also talking about some of the ways she’s immersed herself in other activities to kind of take her mind off the injury.

“I would say crafting, just making sure that I sit on my butt and relax the way I need to, to get back,” Brink said. “I’ve been making stuff out of clay for my friends, hanging out with my fiancée and my dog, so life has been pretty good.”

When Brink ultimately returns to the Sparks’ lineup , she will slot in as the team’s starting center. And she gives them a perennial All-Defensive presence.