Cameron Brink’s WNBA journey didn’t start with the fairytale everyone imagined. From going No. 2 overall in the 2024 draft to tearing her ACL barely four minutes into her 15th WNBA game, the highs and lows came fast. But as she works her way back, Brink is embracing the grind — and the growing pains.

Back in March, Cameron Brink kept it brutally honest about her rehab grind: “Yeah, I went on a run the other day, running for four minutes and then walking for one minute. When I tell you, I’ve never been so gassed in my life! I’m like, I’m not an athlete right now.” It’s April now, and things have shifted — she’s stronger, moving better, but still working out the kinks. And in true Cameron fashion, she’s keeping it real.

On her podcast Straight to Cam, she didn’t just update fans on her recovery — she told a story that made her rehab as human as it gets. Spoiler: it involves a box, a fall, and a very concerned practice squad.

“So this past week, I’ve been doing a lot more training,” Brink shared on the podcast with Sydel Curry-Lee. “I would say I’m back to doing everything like pretty normally.” That update came via a clip shared on X by Vanshay Murdock, signaling to Sparks fans that Brink is on track for a June return. It was the first time she publicly confirmed her physical progress since SBNation’s Harrison Faigen reported her tentative comeback timeline.

But with recovery comes rust — and occasionally, viral-worthy awkwardness. “I posted a video of me. You know, when you just step the wrong way and you just, you just eat it,” Brink said, laughing. “I was trying to backpedal. I like tripped over my own foot… And of course, like we have like six practice guys on the floor.” The visual alone is classic gym blooper reel: a WNBA star trips, falls, and the defender guarding her raises his hands like a suspect in a crime drama.

“He put his hands up over his head. He’s like, I didn’t touch her. And he got so nervous… Everyone was freaking out. I was fine. I was just like laying there in embarrassment because I like just tripped over the line on the court.”

But can you blame him? When your practice partner is the No. 2 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, and she’s fresh off an ACL tear—one of the most feared injuries in basketball—you panic a little.

Ask stars like Skylar Diggins-Smith, who needed 11 months to return after her 2015 ACL injury, or Angel McCoughtry, who made a shockingly fast return four months post-tear in 2021—but still needed more time to get back to full form. Even Betnijah Laney-Hamilton sat out the rest of her season after her 2016 injury. Brink has been away long enough for her part and isn’t stopping until she can get back soon. But nobody speaks of the silly incidents one has to overcome in the process. 

For Brink, tripping wasn’t the only misadventure. A second one involved a box jump. “I was also doing box jumps. And it was like a single leg box jump. Thanks, Scott. Thank God. It was one of those boxes that is soft. It’s not wooden. And I jumped up, whiffed it and then like fell over the box,” she laughed. As co-host Sydel Curry-Lee chimed in—“So, a little Bambi?”—Brink couldn’t help but agree. “I’ve been very humbled in my return,” she admitted, equal parts amused and grounded.

That mindset — equal parts vulnerability and defiance — has defined Brink’s basketball life. In April 2024, she wrapped a legendary Stanford career as a 3X All-American and 2X National Defensive Player of the Year. She led the Cardinal to two Pac-12 tournament titles, a national championship, and rewrote nearly every shot-blocking record on campus. But just two months into her rookie year, the dream was halted. On June 18, against the Connecticut Sun, Brink tore her left ACL after less than four minutes on the court. She had to be carried to the locker room.

“You never think it will happen to you,” she later wrote on Instagram. “And despite all the hard work sometimes it does. This is hard to fathom but I know it will only make me stronger.”

Brink missed the rest of her WNBA rookie season and was ruled out of the Paris Olympics. The 6-foot-4 forward had been averaging 8.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks, tied with A’ja Wilson for the second-most blocks in the league at the beginning of the 2024 season.

Sparks head coach Curt Miller kept things in perspective. “Except for the 2019 season, I’ve lost a starter to injury every single year I’ve been a head coach in this league,” he said. “You just have to have the mentality of next person up and rally around it.”

Her recovery has been far from quiet, but Cameron Brink wouldn’t have it any other way. As she said best: “Everything’s still attached. Everything’s still there. Alright, let’s keep it going.”

One ACL, Two Leagues, and a Summer Deadline: Cameron Brink Is Not Done Yet

However, there is no doubt about it — Cameron Brink’s ACL injury has been a gut punch. It robbed her of her rookie season’s momentum, snatched away her Paris Olympic dream with the USA 3×3 squad, and delayed her much-anticipated debut in the star-studded Unrivaled league. The surgery she underwent in July was successful, but the path back has been anything but easy.

Fast forward to 2025, and Brink is making slow but steady strides. Though she didn’t suit up for Unrivaled this season —  she’s already got next. Brink signed a two-year deal and is taking full advantage of being courtside and soaking up game IQ from the league’s best.

“It means a lot to be here and that the Unrivaled team and people want me here to see what’s going on for next year,” Brink told ESPN earlier this year. “I hope to get stronger and advance in my recovery process.”

And it seems she is recovering just fine. During this year’s WNBA Draft, ESPN’s Holly Rowe dropped a promising update: “Checking in with her and her people today, she said she’s doing really well in rehab. She is so blessed to be working with some of the best in the business, Susan Borchardt and Curtis Borchardt of The Athlete Blueprint are helping with her rehab.”

According to Rowe, sources close to the Sparks expect Brink to be back on the hardwood by June — just in time for the All-Star break. That timeline would mean nearly a full year of recovery — standard for ACL tears, but also a sign she’s had no major setbacks. And that’s big news for the Sparks.

If she’s back in June, she could lace up for at least 20 games to close out the season. And with the Sparks adding firepower like Kelsey Plum and rookies like Sarah Ashlee Barker, Brink’s return could help spark a playoff push — something L.A. hasn’t seen in four seasons.

And make no mistake — Brink’s calendar is booked. Once her WNBA season wraps, she’s set to make her Unrivaled debut with the Lunar Owls in 2026 (The owls were nigh unstoppable this year without her). If all goes to plan, her bounce-back year could be one for the books.