As far as pro debuts go, Cameron Brink’s wasn’t all that bad.
The former Stanford star and No. 2 pick in the WNBA draft last month had 11 points, four assists, two blocks and two rebounds in the Los Angeles Sparks’ 92-81 loss at home to the Atlanta Dream on Wednesday night.
Brink was 4-of-6 shooting in 20 minutes, earning praise from longtime Los Angeles Times sports columnist Bill Plaschke, who wrote, “When she wasn’t on the bench in foul trouble, she was brilliant.”
The Sparks had a point differential of plus-8 when Brink was on the court.
“Cam has to find a way to stay out of foul trouble because she’s so important to what we’re doing,” Sparks coach Curt Miller told the Times postgame. “She’s a really good distributor of the ball as a 6-5 person, so she can create opportunities for her teammates. Defensively, she’s great rim protection but when you play three minutes in the first stretch and have to sit down, that’s a big blow. … Really solid start for her, we just got to keep her on the floor longer.”
Brink made headlines after the game in Long Beach when she hung out in the locker room with Kim Kardashian and Kardashian’s daughter, North.
The rookie forward gave her No. 22 Sparks jersey, along with shoes, to North.
The season opener against Atlanta was a reunion or sorts for Brink as she faced former Stanford teammate Haley Jones for the first time as professionals.
The two helped Stanford capture the NCAA championship in 2021.
Jones, the sixth pick in last year’s draft, also shot 4-of-6 from the floor and finished with 14 points, four assists and two rebounds in 24 minutes.
Los Angeles visits defending WNBA champion Las Vegas on Saturday in a game that will be televised on ABC.