At long last, it looks like Cameron Brink's return is imminent. The Los Angeles Sparks center, who has missed 13 months while recovering from an ACL tear, said Saturday that she has been medically cleared and has started ramping up to a return.
"I'm cleared. It's just getting reps at this point. Just getting back up to speed with everybody," Brink told reporters on Saturday ahead of L.A.'s game against the New York Liberty, via The Athletic's Ben Pickman.
After months of sitting on the Sparks' injury report as "out," the second-year center was listed as "doubtful" for Saturday's game — raising some eyebrows about a potential return. Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts confirmed Saturday that Brink would not be playing, at least not yet.
Despite not playing Saturday, Brink was seen getting some shots up ahead of the game.
In June 2024, Brink was carried off the court after suffering a knee injury during the Sparks' loss to the Connecticut Sun. The next day, the team confirmed that Brink had torn her ACL, and would be out for the season.
"You never think it will happen to you," Brink wrote on Instagram after the injury was announced. "And despite all the hard work sometimes it does. This is hard to fathom, but I know it will only make me stronger."
In addition to missing the rest of the 2024 WNBA season, Brink was also forced to miss the 2024 Paris Olympics, where she had been named as a member of Team USA's 3x3 team. Sparks teammate Dearica Hamby joined in Brink's place, helping to lead the team to a bronze medal.
Los Angeles has sorely missed Brink over the past year: The Sparks ended the 2024 season dead last with a 8-32 record. So far this season, they are 10-14, currently sitting in 10th place of 13 teams. Although L.A.'s offense has been much better this year — the Sparks currently average the third-highest points per game in the league — they have struggled on rebounds (third worst in the WNBA) and turnovers (second most).
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