Inside Cameron Brink’s L. A. Sparks Return

After 13 months, fans of the Los Angeles Sparks welcomed back forward Cameron Brink to the court on Tuesday night.

Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images

The Los Angeles Sparks have been through a rebuilding phase since Candace Parker and Chelsea Gray left the team after the 2020 season, and Nneka Ogwumike departed for Seattle in the 2024 offseason. The team selected Brink at No. 2 from Stanford and forward Rickea Jackson at No. 4 from Tennessee in the 2024 WNBA Draft, signaling a building block for the future.

“Nobody wants to challenge her, nobody wants to go against her,” Jackson said of Brink.

Brink missed the remainder of her rookie season and the start of the 2025 season due to a Torn ACL and meniscus injury on her left knee, which she suffered last June during her rookie year. She also missed the inaugural season of Unrivaled earlier this winter while focusing on rehab.

In the pregame, Brink told reporters about enjoying the moment and feeling the excitement of returning to the court after recovering from the left knee injury.

“It means the world,” Brink told John Davis of the Long Beach Press Telegram. “I’m just very excited, very humbled by this experience. It’s no easy thing to come back from. Just really excited.”

Exclusive: Cameron Brink shares her excitement before her first game back in 13 months after recovering from a season-ending knee injury. pic.twitter.com/MOG8qIrl2i

— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) July 28, 2025

In the first quarter against the Aces, fans cheered as the public announcer said Brink’s name and witnessed her performance at Crypto.com Arena. She played on a minutes restriction with 15 minutes and scored five points, grabbed three rebounds, and recorded a steal and a block while having an efficiency of plus seven on the court.

Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts said in pregame that the team is thrilled to have her back while Los Angeles missed her defensive and offensive presence.

“I thought she did a good job,” Roberts said. “To be honest, she was more comfortable out there than I anticipated her to be, just because of how long she’s been out and coming in mid-season is hard.”

Brink’s teammate, Sparks guard Kelsey Plum, was pleased to see Brink return to the court, providing a boost to the team’s defense. Plum also called Brink a competitor and said her return will help the team on both ends of the court.

Plum also shared about how challenging it was to come back from a major injury. In 2020, she tore her Achilles tendon and missed the season for the Las Vegas Aces, who advanced to the WNBA Finals and lost to the Seattle Storm that season.

“It’s very impressive to come in with the impact that you did working your way back,” Plum said. “So not really even getting a ton of reps with the full team, and to come in and make the impact that she did, I thought she was phenomenal.”

Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon mentioned Brink’s confidence from the 3-point line throughout the game. Brink made her first 3-pointer of the season during the first quarter.

Cameron Brink’s first bucket of the season?

A clean triple Welcome back, Cam!

LVA-LAS | League Pass pic.twitter.com/DOtYWQTyzP

— WNBA (@WNBA) July 30, 2025

Hammon also mentioned that coming back from two torn ACL injuries–one in 2003 with the New York Liberty and another in 2013 with the San Antonio Stars–required plenty of work to get back on track.

“I mean, she comes out shoots a couple threes, all her shots were threes,” Hammon said. “So clearly she’s been working on that came out, shot it confidently.

“I’m glad she managed restriction, because I thought she did well when she got on there, but she’s gonna have to play her way back into shape. Having been through the ACL process myself, it’s a lot of hard work to get back out on that floor, and so, kudos to her for putting in that work. And then I thought she was very impactful when she came in. So lots of good things for her to build off.”

Through the ups and downs, sweat, and tears, all that matters for Brink and the Sparks is staying together, and for Brink, it’s getting the opportunity to make an impact for years to come in Los Angeles.

“Cam’s got a lot of stuff that she could be doing, but basketball is her main thing, that’s her passion,” Roberts said. “You know, it’s an emotional moment when you’ve been out for 13 months and you’re actually in uniform, and you’re gonna get to play. And she loves basketball, so she’s finally getting a chance to be out there and be with her teammates that she’s been watching for 13 months. And (the basketball court is) her happy place.”

Sitting at 11-15 after the 89-74 loss to the Aces, the Sparks are anticipating a playoff push and the positive momentum Brink’s return provides. Despite the Sparks snapping their five-game winning streak at home to the Aces, all that matters for Los Angeles is Brink’s return means brighter days are ahead.

The IX Basketball’s Cameron Ruby contributed to this story.