Cameron Brink Injury Deals Serious Blow to Team USA's 3x3 Medal Hopes

Brink was named MVP of the 2023 Women's 3x3 World Cup.

May 24, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Sparks forward Cameron Brink (22) blocks a shot by Indiana Fever forward Aliyah Boston (7) in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Los Angeles Sparks center Cameron Brink's season-ending knee injury was a big blow to women's basketball, as the electric rookie had been playing phenomenal basketball since her WNBA debut.

But Brink's torn ACL was also devastating to the U.S. Olympic team, as she was a star on the women's 3x3 basketball squad.

Earlier this month, Brink was selected to the four-member 3x3 squad along with Valencia forward Cierra Burdick, Atlanta Dream guard Rhyne Howard and TCU guard Hailey Van Lith. Brink, Burdick and Van Lith represented the U.S. at the 3x3 World Cup in 2023 and took home the gold medal. The fourth member of that team was current free agent guard Linnae Harper.

The U.S. squad went 3-1 in pool play during the World Cup last summer, then beat Japan, Austria, China and France in the knockout rounds to win the title. Brink was named to the tournament's All-Star team and was named tournament MVP.

Team USA is the defending Olympic champion in women's 3x3 basketball. At the 2020 Olympics, Stefanie Dolson, Allisha Gray, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young dominated pool play, going 6–1, before beating France in the semifinals and Russia in the gold medal match. Plum tied for the tournament lead with 55 points, but she'll be playing with the 5x5 team this time around.

The first instinct everyone will have is that this provides an opening for Caitlin Clark to wind up at the Paris Olympics. Not so fast. Brink is a versatile forward who can play in the post and step out to shoot on the perimeter. The Americans will almost certainly need to find another big to replace her, not a point guard. It's a shame that there doesn't seem to be a spot for Clark on the team, but she wouldn't appear to be a fit.

Expect an Olympic replacement for Brink to be named in the coming days.