Cameron Brink is the WNBA's Newest Gem

When I first watched Cameron Brink play basketball, I was enthralled by her pure size, defensive prowess and effortless demeanor on the court. That year’s Stanford team, led by Kiana Williams and Haley Jones, ended up winning the 2021 Division 1 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship, and from then on, I not only found myself a committed fan of the team, but I became interested in applying to the school itself (I ended up applying in 2022 and was admitted). Once I found out I would have a year on campus with Cameron Brink, I was thrilled. It became my mission to find her, and find her—and probably annoy her—I did.

The 2023-2024 season was the first since Jones left the team after being drafted 6th overall in the 2023 Draft, and there was a looming question Brink had to answer: could she be the #1 option on an elite Stanford team? She answered with an emphatic yes, averaging 17.4 points per game, 11.9 rebounds per game, and a whopping 3.7 blocks per game, earning her Naismith Defensive Player of the Year honors, recognition as the Pac-12 Player of the Year, as well as the Lisa Leslie Award,—presented yearly to the best female center in the NCAA—and WBCA All-American honors. She, along with Kiki Iriafen, breakout star for the Cardinal, led Stanford to a Sweet 16 appearance and 30-6 record. Brink entered the draft as the projected #2 pick, and was indeed drafted second to the Los Angeles Sparks.

Since then, Cameron has made her mark on the W. She’s averaging 8 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks, making her third in the league in blocks per game, behind Ezi Magbegor and A’ja Wilson. Her best in-game performance so far came on May 26th, when she scored 21 points, including 3 three-pointers, and blocked 3 shots in a loss against the Dallas Wings. It’s clear she’s becoming more confident on the floor and in her role as starting center. Her game has been silky smooth and her defensive leadership hasn’t faltered since moving to the pros. There’s no doubt she was the right pick for the Sparks.

While I love Cameron Brink for what she does on the floor and what she did for my Stanford Cardinal, a lot of my favorite things about her are unrelated to her basketball skill. For one, she’s one of the most stylish players in the W. She’s dressed to impress every time I see her, and it’s iconic. She just has that it factor. I’m not the only one who feels this way; her 1.1 million Instagram followers are a testament to her influence.

She also seems like a great teammate and person to be around. From my interaction with her at a Stanford Football game to her dancing Tik Tok videos with [former Stanford Cardinal head coach] Tara VanDerveer and teammates, it seems like Brink brings a valuable locker room energy.

She seems to just get it. Amidst all the frustrating discourse surrounding the W this season, Cameron always seems to say the right thing. When asked how she would achieve her goal of making the W even more iconic than it already is, she made sure to mention the privilege she has in the basketball space. “I will acknowledge there’s a privilege for the younger white players of the league,” Brink said in an Uproxx interview with Megan Armstrong. She also pointed out the unfair lack of coverage for the league’s more visibly queer players, an issue that hasn’t been talked about nearly enough by the media: “Some of my teammates are more masculine. Some of my teammates go by they/them pronouns. I want to bring more acceptance to that and not just have people support us because of the way that we look. I know I can feed into that because I like to dress femininely, but that’s just me. I want everyone to be accepted — not just paid attention to because of how they look.” As the pinnacle of the traditional femininity that the WNBA loves to highlight, it’s nice to hear that she agrees with the vast majority of Black queer fans that would like to see equal coverage of players like Courtney Williams, Jonquel Jones, Arike Ogunbowale, Layshia Clarendon, and others.

Cameron Brink was recently selected for USA’s Olympic 3×3 Basketball team, where she’ll play alongside Rhyne Howard, Hailey Van Lith, and Cierra Burdick. Brink, with the help of the latter two players, won gold at the 2023 FIBA 3×3 World Cup, and was named MVP of the competition. Her slashing and rim protecting abilities are perfectly suited for the modified take on standard 5×5 basketball, and it’ll be exciting to see her and 2022 WNBA Rookie of the Year Rhyne Howard on the hardwood together.

Like I mentioned at the beginning of this article, I’m a Stanford student, so maybe I’m biased. The numbers, interviews, and Tik Toks speak for themselves, though. Cameron Brink is here and is here to stay, so buckle up, WNBA fans.