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Cameron Brink Clarifies Injury Recovery Status—and It’s Not the Update Fans Hoped For

Despite hopes to return to the court as soon as possible, the basketball player’s healing journey may take a little longer than anticipated.

Diana Nosa

Cameron Brink attends the game between the San Antonio Spurs and the Indiana Pacers in Paris, France in January 2025.
Cameron Brink attends the game between the San Antonio Spurs and the Indiana Pacers in Paris, France in January 2025. / Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images

After suffering a knee injury back in June 2024 during a game against the Connecticut Sun, Los Angeles Sparks player Cameron Brink has had hopes to return to the basketball court for the 2025 season. However, she recently shared an update that shows some things, especially the healing of injuries, don’t always have a perfect timeframe.

During her appearance on Tuesday’s episode of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, the athlete and SI Swimsuit model, who made her debut in Boca Raton, Fla., for the 2025 issue, shared that she is currently doing much better, though she does still need to take a break from basketball to heal.

“I was at the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut [...] a casino, very lucky,” Brink told host Pat Sajak (as reported by SI). “[I] tore my ACL, tore my meniscus as well, but it’s all surgically repaired now. So, I’m good. It’s just going to take me a couple of months to be back.”

As SI also reports, Brink’s latest update debunks comments made by ESPN’s Holly Rowe, who shared in April that sources told her the basketball player was expected back on the court in June.

While she didn’t specify when exactly she will be back, nor what her return will look like, the superstar still plans to make a profound impact on the sport and her community. As one example, her charitable organization, the Next22 Foundation, aims to help young girls achieve their dreams of becoming professional basketball players.

Through mentorship and providing much-needed resources, she motivates the next generation of female athletes to break every chain and reach for the stars. Her next step for the Next22 Foundation? Expansion.

“I’m playing for Next22—it is a non-profit basketball camp that I hold every year in the state of Oregon,” the 23-year-old athlete expressed. “Hopefully, with the money, I can expand to Washington and California. More girls can come, and I can just continue to empower the young women of this country.”

As fans continue to root for Brink to heal so she can return to the basketball court, they can watch her episode of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune on Hulu. Whether or not she takes it all the way on the popular game show remains to be seen, but her strategy seems strong enough.

“I would say my strategy [on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune] is to not look stupid,” Brink joked. “Just guess good consonants [...] and don’t be afraid to buy vowels.”

https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/v1746383054/images/voltaxMediaLibrary/mmsport/si_swimsuit/01jte8n89gjj2hhdk1tc.jpg. More Cameron Brink. Cameron Brink Content. https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/v1746383062/images/voltaxMediaLibrary/mmsport/si_swimsuit/01jte8n8qj64b6f41vge.jpg. Brink’s Reveal Story. https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/v1746383065/images/voltaxMediaLibrary/mmsport/si_swimsuit/01jte8n8qwdj5ckh2t38.jpg. View Brink’s Full Gallery

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Diana Nosa
DIANA NOSA

After graduating from Rutgers University with degrees in Psychology and Theatre, Diana Nosa ventured off on the path of becoming an entertainment journalist. Having her start on various entertainment sites, she eventually found her way to Sports Illustrated Swimsuit in 2024 and has been working diligently ever since. Diana's interests include fashion, interior design and traveling. She's also an avid anime watcher and gamer––her favorite games being Elden Ring and Hollow Knight.

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