Brink exits Sparks’ loss early after injuring knee

Los Angeles Sparks rookie Cameron Brink will be evaluated Wednesday after she was helped off the court with a knee injury Tuesday at Connecticut.

Brink, the No. 2 pick in the 2024 WNBA draft out of Stanford, appeared to slip while driving to the basket at Mohegan Sun Arena in the first quarter.

Brink, 22, got up slowly and hobbled to the sideline, then was carried to the locker room by two staff members.

Brink played under four minutes and committed one foul before getting hurt. She was later ruled out for the game, which the Sparks would go on to lose 79-70.

Sparks coach Curt Miller didn’t have an update on Brink, saying only that she would be evaluated Wednesday.

A 6-foot-4 forward, Brink has started every game this season for the Sparks and entered Tuesday averaging 8.1 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.5 blocks. Her blocks average is tied for second most in the WNBA with Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson.

Miller, who coached the Sun from 2016-22, noted that with the exception of 2019, he had lost a starter to injury every season he’s been a WNBA head coach.

“[Injuries] are part of the WNBA, unfortunately,” Miller said. “You just have to have the mentality of next person up and rally around it. Does an injury open a door for someone else to really start to blossom and gain confidence? You look at my time in Connecticut … someone went down, someone else stepped up.

“So we’re praying and hoping for the best for Cam. But unintended consequences of injuries are it’s going to open the door for someone like [Li Yueru] if that happens to be necessary.”

With Brink out most of the game, Li, a 6-foot-7 center from China, played a season-high 26 minutes, finishing with 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting to go along with 2 rebounds and 3 assists. Guard Aari McDonald led the Sparks with 14 points and 7 assists.

“For one, we just said, ‘Do it for Cameron,'” McDonald said of how the Sparks kept the game close against the 13-1 Sun despite Brink’s absence. “And, two, just keep getting stops. The game was never out of reach, so I’m just really proud of our group.”

Brink, who won a national championship with Stanford in 2021, is on the four-member U.S. women’s 3×3 team for the Paris Olympics.

The Sparks (4-11) head to New York to play two games against the Liberty on Thursday and Saturday.