Cameron Brink spent her first two professional offseasons trying to catch up. She had only six weeks to prepare after finishing her Stanford career before her first WNBA season, then spent her second offseason recovering from a devastating knee injury. Now, for the first time since turning pro, the 6-foot-4 Sparks forward is healthy for a full offseason and has stayed in Los Angeles to work on every part of her game as she heads into Year 3.
That matters because Brink is not walking into a blank slate. She averaged 5.1 points and 4.3 rebounds in 12.8 minutes per game last season after returning from a torn ACL in late July, and she played exclusively off the bench. This winter is the first chance she has had to build without the scramble of a shortened preparation window or the grind of rehab, and she is using it to sharpen the details that can change her role.
Brink said the Sparks have “wrapped their arms around” her because she is the only player in market, and that support has shown up in the gym. Coaches have been rebounding for her during workouts as she hones her 3-pointer and her ball handling. She said she also needs to be better “playing off of 2 feet, short rolling, decision-making from there,” and added that if she gets a long rebound, the staff wants her to push the ball in transition and help start offense. “It’s like really cool to work on a little bit of everything and have a staff that supports versatility with the big position,” she said.
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The offseason work fits a player who entered the league with a polished reputation and a steep learning curve. At Stanford, Brink won a national championship and became a two-time Pac-12 Conference Player of the Year, and Steph Curry helped her refine her shot while she was nearby on campus. Since then, the thread has remained the same: a big who can protect the rim, stretch the floor and expand the rest of her game. Now 24 and turning 25 in December, she is trying to make the next step with the time she never had in her first two pro offseasons.
There is also a familiar connection that should matter once the season starts. Brink expects better chemistry with teammate Rickea Jackson after the two played together for Miami-based Breeze BC in the Unrivaled league, and she described Jackson as “honestly such an underrated passer” who is “really fun to flow with.” That kind of fit is harder to build in season than in the gym, which is why this stretch in Los Angeles has become so useful.
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Brink’s off-court profile has kept moving too. She has an enduring partnership with Optimum Nutrition and said, “I’m like the protein powder dealer on my team and with my trainers,” adding that she even brings an extra tub to the head of medical staff because she is “probably one of the healthiest people I know.” It is the kind of line that lands because it sounds like someone who has spent enough time around the league to know what it takes to stay available.
She has also been watching the college game from a distance and had strong words for UCLA center Lauren Betts after Betts won the NCAA title with the Bruins. Brink called Betts a phenomenal player and said, “I really applaud her for being so vulnerable,” praising her willingness to speak openly about mental health struggles. “I think it was a really hard thing to do, and I think she really did touch a lot of people in a way a lot of people can be afraid to do, so I think that’s really awesome and she totally deserves that moment,” Brink said.
For the Sparks, the immediate significance is simple. A healthy Brink in a normal offseason gives the team something it has not yet had from her: time. Time to shoot. Time to handle. Time to learn where her decisions can speed up and where her size can tilt a game. That may not make her a finished product, but it gives Los Angeles its best chance yet to find out what Brink looks like when the calendar stops fighting her.
