Cameron Brink looked like she was about to play hockey, not basketball.
The Los Angeles Sparks star showed up to her team’s last game wearing one of the more unusual face protectors anyone has seen in a WNBA arena. Brink took a shot to the face in her previous outing and the team’s medical staff fitted her with a protective nose brace to prevent further damage. The look was striking. The toughness was striking too.
Brink is one of the faces of the WNBA at this point. She is not sitting out for a bruised face.
How It Happened
Brink got tagged in the face during a physical sequence under the basket. Initial fears about a broken nose ended up being slightly overblown. The diagnosis was a contusion and some swelling. The brace is mostly a precaution, but it looks aggressive on her face. Photos from warmups are everywhere.
This is not the first time Brink has played through pain. She is built like a forward, plays like a forward, and competes like a guard. She has been hit hard by opposing centers for two seasons now. She keeps coming back.
The Caitlin Clark Backstory
Brink has been part of one of the WNBA’s most fascinating subplots this year. She had an emphatic block of Caitlin Clark earlier this season that came with a celebration some fans found a little spicy. The internet went nuts. Brink leaned into it. The Sparks and Fever now have a real rivalry brewing whenever they meet.
Brink is not afraid of the spotlight. She also is not afraid of taking on the league’s biggest names. The face injury, the brace, and the next showdown all add to her growing legend.
The Sparks Need Her
Los Angeles is fighting to stay in the playoff conversation in the Western Conference. The Sparks have one of the most talented young cores in the league, but they need their stars healthy to make a run. Losing Brink to anything serious would gut the roster.
The good news is the face injury does not appear to be anything that would keep her out for long. She is expected to play in the next game with the brace. She might even keep wearing it for a while after the swelling goes down, depending on what her doctors say.
Brink has become must-watch television in the WNBA. The skill, the size, the attitude, and now the face brace. She is doing everything to make sure people are paying attention.
Mission accomplished.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
