Sparks' Cameron Brink Receives Injury Advice From Lonzo Ball
A season-ending ACL injury last June caused Cameron Brink to miss the Los Angeles Sparks' final 25 games of 2024 — after averaging 7.5 points and 5.3 rebounds through the opening 15 games.
It also forced her to back out of the Paris Olympics after previously being named to the USA Basketball 3x3 Women's National Team.
After a relentless recovery process that's spanned nearly a full calendar year, the star forward is finally expected to return to game action sometime this June, according to ESPN's Holly Rowe.
Cameron Brink working her way back at some point, getting early work in on the court #LASparks pic.twitter.com/aagdpRCZ9L
— Nick Hamilton (@NickHamilton213) May 25, 2025
“Checking in with her and her people today, she said she’s doing really well in rehab," Rowe said during the 2025 WNBA Draft broadcast. "Sources close to the Sparks have told me she is likely to return around June before the All-Star break."
Brink, joined by Chicago Bulls' guard Lonzo Ball on a recent episode of "Straight 2 Cam" with Sydel Curry-Lee, discussed her personal mindset during the recovery gauntlet — and received advice from Ball on his journey dealing with various leg injuries throughout his time in the NBA.
Read more: Sparks’ Cameron Brink Revisits Feeling After Tearing ACL
Looking at his respective situation from a broader perspective helped Ball stay grounded during his recovery process, he said.
"Just to know there is a light at the end of the tunnel."@ZO2_ shares how he stayed locked in during his injury recovery. pic.twitter.com/vIukSM99mL
— Straight to Cam (@straight2cam) May 23, 2025
"The progress is so minimal sometimes, and even sometimes it's regressive," Ball said. "It gets a little tough mentally.
"Just to know that there's a light at the end of the tunnel ... When you have a good plan and you can hit certain goals along the way, that will help a lot," he continued.
Brink and Ball spoke on both the positive and negative impacts of social media — and learning to often tune out what others have to say while recovering as well.
"I've stopped reading the comments," Brink said.
"Everybody's entitled to their opinion ... but a lot of people, I feel like, say things — especially in the media — that they don't really know too much about," Ball added. "I try not to let it affect me too much."
More Sparks news:
A'ja Wilson Speaks Out on Losing Kelsey Plum to Sparks
Sparks' Kelsey Plum Reacts to Georgia Amoore's ACL Injury
International Legend Reveals Reason For Rejoining LA
Sparks Waive Two Players Ahead of 2025 Season
Sparks’ Cameron Brink Revisits Feeling After Tearing ACL
For more news and notes on the Los Angeles Sparks, visit Los Angeles Sparks on SI.
Ben Geffner is an award-winning sports journalist and current student at the University of Maryland's Philip Merrill College of Journalism. A greater Los Angeles native now with countless years of extensive and dedicated experience — including beat reporting, writing, play-by-play broadcast, television anchoring, podcasting and video production — Ben remains eager to contribute as credentialed media covering the LA Sparks.
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