Los Angeles Sparks star Cameron Brink (left) and teammate Rickea Jackson (right). Photo credits: Imagn images

'She’ll Smack Into The Fifth Row': Cameron Brink’s Injury Return Gets Rickea Jackson Hyped Up

Originally posted on Hardwood Heroics | By Dan Agulto | Last updated Apr 16, 2025 11:31 AM ET

Los Angeles Sparks star Cameron Brink is expected to make a comeback this 2025 WNBA season, and her teammate Rickea Jackson is all hyped up for her much-awaited return.

In an exclusive interview with Sportkeeda , Rickea Jackson talked about her friend and teammate Cameron Brink, who suffered an ACL injury and spent the rest of the 2024 season and the offseason in recovery.

In the interview, Jackson praised Cameron Brink’s basketball IQ, among other things.

“I expect good things from Cam,” Jackson said. “She’s always been a hard worker and very high IQ basketball mind. So I feel like she’s going to come back strong. This is a bump in the road for her. But the way that she’s been handling it, you can just see that she’s ready to come back and ready to do great things.”

“I’ll have my shot blocker. She’ll smack it into the fifth row. To have that back will be amazing.”

Cameron Brink Shares Recovery and Training Journey

In one episode of her podcast “Straight to Cam,” Cameron Brink shared a huge update on her road to recovery from her ACL injury. More than the training, Brink highlighted that she had to “relearn” everything, which proved to be the most challenging aspect of her recovery.

“It’s flown by, honestly,” Cameron Brink said of the recovery journey she had. “Like, it’s been a whirlwind but I feel like now, people don’t talk about this as much. This is the hardest part for me, because I’m just finally starting to do the jumping, the running, you know, real impact stuff. And I went on a run the other day and I was running for four minutes on and then walking for one minute, and I’m telling you, I’ve never been so gassed in my life.”

May 24, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Sparks guard Layshia Clarendon (25) looks on as Los Angeles Sparks forward Cameron Brink (22) grabs a rebound in the first half against the Indiana Fever at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

With that, she admitted to not feeling like an athlete during her recovery training.

“I’m not an athlete right now,” she added. “Same thing with shooting. I’m not making the shots. I feel like I’m just having to relearn everything.”

Indiana Fever center Temi Fagbenle (14) goes in for a lay-up against Los Angeles Sparks forward Cameron Brink (22) on Tuesday, May 28, 2024, during the game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Los Angeles Sparks defeated the Indiana Fever, 88-82.

Cameron Brink played only 15 games during the 2024 WNBA season with the Los Angeles Sparks, as her season was cut short due to an ACL injury she sustained in one of her games. She averaged 7.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.1 steals, and 2.3 blocks per game. Cameron Brink shot 39.8% from the field, 32.3% from three-point range, and 84.0% from the free-throw line.

This article first appeared on Hardwood Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

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