Cameron Brink Featured in 2025 SI Swimsuit Issue

The new edition of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition is nearly here, and this year's version features a star studded lineup. Set to feature in the magazine for the first time is former Stanford women's basketball standout, Cameron Brink. A key figure in helping women's basketball gain more attention in recent seasons, Brink has become a key face in women's sports.

All her life, Brink has been defined by the game of basketball. Growing up around NBA superstar, Stephen Curry-- her godbrother. Basketball became a huge part of her life early on, and as she got older and started playing it herself, she quickly found her calling.

After winning a national title with Stanford as a freshman and playing a pivotal role, it was at that moment that she realized that she could go places with the sport. But even being at her level, she has found over time--especially at a woman, that being a female athlete comes with its challenges.

"I think it's always really hard to be a woman in this world, but especially you know, a female athlete," Brink said. "And am I supposed to look more feminine? Am I supposed to look more athletic? What's the balance? What do people think?

"My femininity, I hold that very close to my, my self image. It's definitely gone back and forth. I think every female athlete's had a really rough go with body image, but I'm definitely glad I've gotten to a really good place and I'm able to do stuff like this with SI Swimsuit and it's just very empowering. So I hope everyone can get to a point like this."

Brink hopes that her photoshoot not only empowers women, but encourages them to be confident in themselves. Her main goal throughout this whole process is to show that while nothing comes easy-- especially as a professional athlete, it can be very empowering and rewarding to see all the hard work pay off.

"When people look at these photos, I hope they just take away first that I've put a lot of work into my body and it's a lot of work to be a professional athlete," Brink added. "And also it's hard to put your body out there, but it's also really empowering."

For Brink, becoming a professional athlete was more than just living her dream--it was about joining a group of players that helped empower her growing up. While hanging around Curry certainly helped her love for the game grow, her mom's involvement with the WNBA and its players gave Brink women to look up to, and helped inspire her to pursue that path as well.

"There's so many female basketball players that I've looked up to, like Elena Delle Donne, Breanna Stewart, Lisa Leslie, Candace Parker, Maya Moore," Brink said.

"There's so many amazing female basketball players and you can only hope to do half of what they've done in their careers. They've done so much for the sport and they're just phenomenal people and athletes, so I'm just very glad to have watched them growing up.

"When I grew up around the WNBA, my mom was working with a bunch of athletes that I look up to still like Sheryl Swoopes, Dawn Staley," Brink said. "So, I was kind of ingrained in that world and saw the amazing things that she was doing."

But now that she is in the league, Brink notices how those players that came before her helped grow women's basketball into what it is today and if it wasn't for them, the WNBA would not look anything like it does now.

"You watched back then, and it is a completely different game," Brink said. "Now we have good facilities, now we charter, now we have brand endorsements, and they still had that back in the day, but it's at such a larger scale now.

"It's really because of the women before us that have, you know, really pushed the envelope and helped us to get where we are now. I think you always have to look back at the women before you. My mom's definitely taught me that, and I'm very thankful for those role models because we wouldn't be where we are today without them."