Injuries…probably the most gut-wrenching part of any athlete’s life, right? Some are lucky enough to skate by with just minor setbacks. Some get dealt a cruel hand again and again. And then there are the ones who get hit right when everything’s starting to click. Well, that’s exactly what happened to Cameron Brink. She was cruising along, riding the highs of her rookie season, when she tore her left ACL. Just like that, her rookie season came to an end, and she was left watching from the sidelines. 

Brink had just signed with Unrivaled, too. That dream had to hit pause. But did that mean she faded out of the spotlight or became irrelevant? Not even close. “It’s kind of nice to be away from basketball for a second,” Brink said. She became a living proof of what to do when life throws a curveball- just knock it out of the park. Brink went and launched her very own podcast, Straight to Cam, calling it a space for “being our authentic selves… just having a safe space where we can yap with each other and just show who we really are.” And don’t we all love that energy? She did not stop there, of course. 

So, Sparks’ star has always had that ‘model’ tag attached to her name, and she fully leaned into it then. Among her many passions off the court, fashion’s been right at the top. Last fall, she even made her way to Paris for Men’s and Women’s Fashion Week. Through it all, she’d been rehabbing that knee, of course, but also living her best life. And while returning to basketball was still the big dream, the way she explored herself is sure to translate whenever we see her on the court next. And you might think that “oh, that was just a phase” and “now that her return is approaching, she must be focusing on basketball solely”. Well, you couldn’t be more wrong. Like, think again, why would she entirely leave behind this life that helped her find herself? And she proved that even if her mind cannot think of new things to try out, she will take a page or two from other athletes’ books. 

So, Brink recently swapped sneakers for golf shoes. And when we think about golf and the WNBA, our minds automatically go to one name—Clark. She loves golfing. She even took her passion to the next level, going pro. In November, she played in the Annika Driven by Gainbridge Pro-Am at Pelican Golf Club. Now, her fellow draftee seems to be catching the golf bug as well.

Recently, the LA star shared a video on her story (courtesy of teammate Rae Burrell). After a couple of putts that didn’t go as planned, Brink decided to “fix” it by putting the ball in the hole after a fourth putt. Well, she might not be the next Tiger Woods, but she sure had fun with it, and honestly, that’s what matters most. But make no mistake…Brink’s not just playing around. She’s grinding hard for a comeback with the Sparks. After months of rehab, she’s finally getting back to it, ready to remind everyone why she was the #2 pick in the 2024 Draft. 

On her podcast, she got real about the journey and how it’s been way tougher mentally than anyone realizes. “Honestly, like, it’s been a whirlwind,” Brink said about her rehab. The mental toll has been the hardest part for her. She feels like she has to relearn the game, something every athlete dreads. But despite the challenges, she’s showing a lot of promise. Known for her defensive prowess, she averaged 2.3 blocks per game in her brief rookie season. So, the Sparks have enough reasons to hope that Brink will be a game-changer when she gets back on the court.

The efforts that Brink has been putting in have been translating, too. “I would say I’m back to doing everything like pretty normally,” Brink said about her progress. While she’ll likely miss much of the upcoming sophomore season, her return is still something fans and teammates alike are eagerly anticipating. And why not? When she returns, the whole extraordinary Class of 2020 will be playing pro ball this year. 

The golden top 5 of the 2020 class 

You know how sometimes you look back and realize, wow, that was an era? Well, that’s exactly what’s happening with the 2020 women’s basketball class. Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Paige Bueckers, Cameron Brink, Kamilla Cardoso… absolute icons now, both on the court and all over pop culture. 

But there was a time when they were just a bunch of teenagers, packed at the top of a loaded recruiting class, trying to figure out who would be next up. And they all cooked. The 2020 class might seriously go down as the best in women’s basketball history. We’re talking three once-in-a-generation stars, a No. 2 overall WNBA pick, and the face of one of the biggest college program glow-ups we’ve seen. By the way, four of them won the NCAA national championship.

Paige was so good by the time she was in 7th grade that she had her playing time on the Hopkins High junior varsity and sophomore teams. Later, the No. 1 recruit out of Hopkins, Minnesota, met and exceeded expectations. Back-to-back undefeated seasons, averaging 21.4 points, nearly 10 assists, and five steals a game as a senior. Then she hit UConn and immediately broke college basketball, winning every major player of the year award as a freshman. And now, she is entering W as the No. 1 Draft pick.

Then there was Angel Reese, coming in at No. 2 from St. Frances Academy in Maryland. Four straight conference titles, insane stat lines, and the highest-rated recruit Maryland ever landed. She balled out there for two years, but it was at LSU where Angel really became “Bayou Barbie” — a national champ, a full-blown celebrity, a cultural phenomenon.

Cameron Brink was No. 3 and was a force. After starring at Southridge and Mountainside in Oregon, she picked Stanford over UConn, Oregon, and others, and basically ran the Pac-12. Defensive beast, double-double machine, and a champion. Even though her rookie WNBA season got cut, she’s still one of the faces of the next generation.

At no. 4, it was Caitlin Clark. Her ranking might now feel a bit off because she is the most marketable women’s athlete right now. In high school, she was an absolute cheat code, too. Originally committed to Notre Dame, but flipped to Iowa, and the rest is history. She went as the No. 1 overall pick to the WNBA and changed women’s basketball forever. 

And then Kamilla Cardoso (No.5), who once blocked a shot by a male physical education teacher who attempted to score on her during an exhibition game at an elementary school. And whose story could have been over even before it started, thanks to her school’s headmaster. Now, just look at her. McDonald’s All-American. All-conference player in both the ACC and SEC. FIBA AmeriCup MVP and gold medalist with the Brazilian national team. National Champion at South Carolina.

So, the golden crew of 2020 rewrote the whole story of the sport, and they continue to do so. At this moment, all we can say is…we’re lucky that we get to watch it all happen in real time.