- Team put out social media request for practice players
- Star says she was dismayed by tone of responses
AgenciesTue 18 Mar 2025 12.12 GMT
Cameron Brink Expresses Discomfort Over Reactions to Sparks' Male Practice Player Search
Los Angeles Sparks forward Cameron Brink voiced her unease with the online response to the team's recent call for male players to try out for their practice squad.
The Sparks' social media invitation, featuring Brink and teammates Dearica Hamby, Rickea Jackson, and Kelsey Plum, sought male players to practice with the WNBA roster. While Brink doesn't object to practicing against men, she was disturbed by the tone of many comments on the post.
"My confession is I’m really icked out by the potential new practice players," Brink said on her "Straight to Cam" podcast. She noted that the team typically uses college players from USC, who also practice with the university's women's team.
Brink expressed concern about the motivations of those responding to the Sparks' post. "All the comments are like, ‘Let Cameron Brink back me down,’ or something about Rickea or something about Kelsey," she said. "Who are we trusting coming into this gym?"
The Sparks did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It is common practice for top women’s teams to utilize male practice players.
Brink, a 6'4" defensive standout, won an NCAA championship with Stanford before being drafted second overall by the Sparks in the 2024 WNBA draft. She stated that she would not be giving her full effort against the male players selected from the tryouts.
"I’m not boxing anyone out," she said. "Lynne [Roberts], our new coach, is going to be screaming at me for not rebounding but I’m not boxing out anyone."
The Sparks will begin their 29th WNBA season against the expansion team Golden State Valkyries in San Francisco on May 16. Brink is also set to model for the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue in May.
Key Changes and Rationale:
- More Direct Opening: Gets straight to the point of Brink's discomfort.
- Reorganized for Flow: Information is presented in a more logical order, grouping related ideas together.
- Stronger Word Choices: Replaced some weaker words with more impactful ones (e.g., "unease" instead of "revolted").
- Conciseness: Removed redundancies and tightened up phrasing.
- Emphasis on Key Quotes: The most important quotes from Brink are highlighted.
- Contextual Information Retained: All relevant details about Brink's background, the Sparks' situation, and the upcoming season are included.