Inside Cameron Brink’s Journey From Basketball Star to Empowered SI Swimsuit Model

On set with SI Swimsuit, Brink shares her biggest role models and how they shaped her experiences in the world of basketball.

Cameron Brink became the woman she is today by following in the footsteps of the inspirational figures she’s looked up to from a young age. Through this, she hopes to become a role model for future generations.

The Los Angeles Sparks player joins SI Swimsuit for the 2025 issue, out today, after posing at The Boca Raton for photographer Ben Horton’s lens. Sitting down with the brand, the 23-year-old speaks fondly of her family ties to basketball as well as her idea of femininity in the sport.

Growing up with Golden State Warriors player Stephen Curry as her godbrother, basketball was always important to Brink. As a young girl, she rooted for Curry from the sidelines. But years into playing the sport and now playing professionally, she knows that it doesn’t come without its challenges—particularly as a woman.

View Cameron Brink’s full 2025 SI Swimsuit gallery here.

“I think it’s always really hard to be a woman in this world, but especially a female athlete,” Brink says. “Am I supposed to look more feminine? Am I supposed to look more athletic? What’s the balance? What do people think?”

As women are constantly pressured to live up to impossibly difficult beauty standards, Brink has come to the realization that she can own her femininity and confidence—and that’s a serious power.

“My femininity—I hold that very close to my self-image, so it’s definitely gone back and forth,” Brink notes. “I think every female athlete’s had a really rough go with body image. But I’m definitely glad I’ve gotten to a really good place, and I’m able to do stuff like this with SI Swimsuit. It’s just very empowering, so I hope everyone can get to a point like this.”

Cameron Brink was photographed by Ben Horton at The Boca Raton. Swimsuit by Chateau Des Saints. Bracelets by Gorjana. / Ben Horton/Sports Illustrated

The journey to loving yourself, both inside and out, is not a straightforward process, which is why Brink hopes that she can be a guiding light to those who see her photo shoot. She also wants her shoot to serve as a reminder that everything she has now hasn’t come easily; it was through a never-ending process of hard work and dedication.

“When people look at these photos, I hope they just take away that I put a lot of work into my body, and it’s a lot of work to be a professional athlete,” she says. “Also, it’s hard to put your body out there, but it’s also really empowering.”

Honoring the legends

“There are so many female basketball players that I’ve looked up to,” Brink notes, naming athletes like Elena Delle Donne, Breanna Stewart, Lisa Leslie, Candace Parker and Maya Moore. “There are so many amazing female basketball players, and you can only hope to do half of what they've done in their careers. They’ve done so much for the sport and just are phenomenal people and athletes, so I’m just very glad to watch them growing up.”

Brink still rests in awe of other women in this ever-growing sport, as it’s because of these remarkable people—including her own mother, a former collegiate basketball player and current Nike employee—that the WNBA has evolved into what it is today.

“When I grew up around the WNBA, my mom was working with a bunch of athletes that I look up to still, like Sheryl Swoopes, Dawn Staley,” Brink recalls. “So, I was kind of ingrained in that world and saw the amazing things that she was doing.”

“You watch back then, and it is a completely different game,” she adds. “Now we have good facilities. Now we charter. Now we have brand endorsements. And they still had that back in the day, but it’s at such a larger scale now. It’s really because of the women before us that have really pushed the envelope and helped us to get where we are now.”

Brink adds, “I think you always have to look back at the women before you. My mom’s definitely taught me that, and I’m very thankful for those role models because we wouldn’t be where we are today without them.”