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More than a year after an ACL tear ruined her rookie season in the WNBA, Cameron Brink finally returned to the court on Tuesday night.
Brink made her season debut with the Los Angeles Sparks in their 89-74 loss to the Las Vegas Aces on Tuesday at Crypto.com Arena, marking her first game action in nearly 13 months.
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Brink wasn’t in the starting lineup, but she received a huge ovation from fans when she checked into the game late in the first quarter. She didn’t waste any time, either, and immediately drilled a 3-pointer on her first attempt of the night.
That, though, was about all Brink did. She took two other shot attempts from behind the arc and ended up finishing with three rebounds and an assist to go with her five points. The other two came from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter. She played nearly 14 minutes, too, while easing back into things.
Brink first went down with the knee injury during a loss to the Connecticut Sun last June, just 15 games into her WNBA career. The former No. 2 overall pick had to be carried off the floor, and the team quickly confirmed that her ACL was torn. Brink has been sidelined ever since.
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Brink revealed Saturday that she had been medically cleared to play again, and she started ramping up her activity quickly ahead of Tuesday’s contest.
Brink’s return, however, wasn’t enough to slow down A’ja Wilson and the Aces. Wilson dropped 34 points, 17 of which came in the first quarter alone, to lead them to the dominant 15-point win. She had 10 rebounds and shot 16-of-23 from the field, too. Jackie Young put up her first career triple-double with 18 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. It marked the fifth triple-double across the league this season, and the second in as many days following Skylar Diggins’ on Monday night against the Connecticut Sun.
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Kelsey Plum led the Sparks with 22 points and eight assists in the loss, which snapped a five-game win streak. Rae Burrell put up 17 points and six rebounds off the bench, and Dearica Hamby finished with 15 points.
Though it may take a bit for Brink to settle back in, she’s at least finally in a spot to play again after a lengthy rehab derailed the start of her career.
