After a long and challenging 13-month hiatus, Los Angeles Sparks forward Cameron Brink made a triumphant return to the court on Tuesday night in Los Angeles against the Las Vegas Aces.
The number two pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, who tore her ACL last June, entered the game late in the first quarter and finished the game with five points and three rebounds in 14 minutes of action.
However, A’Ja Wilson led the Aces with 34 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks, and three steals, and Jackie Young had a triple-double with 18 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists, and the Sparks'(11-15) five-game winning streak was snapped as they fell to the Aces(14-13) 89-74.
The 23-year-old Brink, who acknowledged that she was nervous, was happy with her performance.
“I definitely was a little nervous at first,” Brink said. “But once I got in, it felt like riding a bike.”
Sparks head coach Lynn Roberts was impressed by what she saw from Brink.
“I thought she did a good job 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’s hard,” Roberts said. “She was active… [Cameron Brink]’s got a lot of stuff that she could be doing, but basketball’s her main thing, that’s her passion, and it’s an emotional moment when you’ve been out for 13 months, and you finally have the uniform on, and you’re gonna get to play. 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 I think that’s her happy place.”
Kelsey Plum, who led the Sparks with 22 points and eight assists, thinks Brink, who is on a minutes restriction, will continue to get better.
“I was really proud of her,” Plum said. I told her after the game, ‘It’s very impressive to come in, make the impact that you did…Working your way back, minute-restricted… because during the season, there’s not a lot of practice time, right? 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. So just giving herself a lot of grace and love, and [Cameron Brink]’s a competitor, and I love that, and I think she’s gonna continue to just help us a ton, especially defensively.”
The Sparks are playing their best ball of the season right now, and a healthy Brink will only help.
Los Angeles returns to action on Friday when they travel to Seattle to face the Storm, while the Aces return home to battle the Minnesota Lynx on Saturday.
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