Los Angeles Sparks star rookie Cameron Brink, who left the team’s game on Tuesday night with an apparent leg injury, has been diagnosed with a torn ACL and will miss the rest of the season. The team made the announcement on Wednesday.
MEDICAL UPDATE: Cameron Brink suffered a left torn ACL in Tuesday’s game vs. Connecticut Sun.
Additional details will be provided at a later date.
Brink, 22, left Tuesday night’s game in the first quarter after taking a bad step and immediately collapsing to the ground in pain. She struggled to walk off the court, and ended up being carried to the locker room by two coaches. Here’s a video of the play, via WNBA Rookie Watch on X:
Prayers up to Cam Brink 🙏 pic.twitter.com/UCnJOijDnI
— WNBA Rookie Watch (@WNBARookieWatch) June 18, 2024
This is a devastating blow for Brink, who was selected No. 2 overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft behind Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark. Brink was in the midst of an impressive rookie season, averaging 8.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game entering Tuesday night’s contest. She had five double-digit scoring outputs and one double-double through 14 games.
Unfortunately, her rookie season is now over, and she’ll undergo surgery before attacking her rehab and trying to return for next season.
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – MAY 28: Cameron Brink #22 of the Los Angeles Sparks makes a move on Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on May 28, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Brink… More JUSTIN CASTERLINE/GETTY IMAGES
This injury is especially unfortunate as Brink was selected to represent Team USA at the upcoming Summer Olympics in Paris. She was set to participate in the 3-on-3 basketball tournament, but will now miss next month’s Games altogether. Team USA will have to find a replacement for Brink, the 6-foot-4 star who excels on both offense and defense.
Brink is a budding basketball star who improved in each of her four seasons at Stanford. The Cardinal won the National Championship during her freshman year, and she got more playing time — and thus, made a bigger impact — in each of the next three seasons.
Brink’s senior season was her best, as she averaged 17.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 3.7 blocks per game while shooting 51.1 percent from the field. She also earned tons of accolades across her collegiate career, including NCAA All-Region honors twice, All-Pac 12 honors three times, and Pac-12 All-Defensive team honors three times. She won the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year award an incredible three times, and was named the 2023-24 Pac-12 Player of the Year her senior season.
Unfortunately for Brink and the Sparks, her rookie season has come to a screeching halt. She’ll now do what she can to return for the 2024-25 season, where the Sparks will likely be adding another top rookie.
The Sparks are currently 4-11 and own the third-worst record in the entire WNBA. Now, they’ll be without one of their budding stars.
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Source: USA Today
