Cameron Brink Talks Growing Up With Caitlin Clark & Angel Reese
The three WNBA stars “have known each other since we were literally children,” Brink says.
For Los Angeles Sparks forward Cameron Brink, the past few years have been full of “I made it” moments. After winning the NCAA Championship with Stanford in 2021, she was the second overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft. In June 2024, she was named an Olympian — an accomplishment she holds “near and dear” to her heart. But things came to a halt later that month when she tore her ACL during a game against the Connecticut Sun.
In the months since her injury, Brink has undergone surgery and rehab to prepare for the 2025 season, starting in May. On top of that, she got engaged to boyfriend Ben Felter in September 2024. In November, she was announced as part of the 2025 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue. For Brink, slowing down has never been a part of the equation — even when she’s off the court.
Now, the 23-year-old is stepping into a new role as Urban Decay’s newest ambassador. In January, she flew to New York City for her first Urban Decay campaign, promoting the brand’s new waterproof highlighter, the Face Bond Luminizer ($34). “I always grew up a makeup girly, so it’s a really great partnership,” she says.
Brink’s a big fan of cosmetics even when she’s playing basketball — and she doesn’t care if people criticize that choice. “A lot of people don’t think women should be wearing a full face of makeup on the court. But then if you’re not wearing enough makeup, they’ll say you aren’t put together,” Brink says. “I think you should do what makes you happy. For me, that’s playing in at least concealer and a little mascara.”
Four months out, Brink is looking forward to her second year in the WNBA. Though there is one aspect of the league she’s hoping to change: “Our salaries.” “It’s a really great league with a lot of women and people I look up to,” she says. “I can’t wait to get back to it and hopefully play a full season this year.”
We’re fiery, crazy competitors on the court, and we’re rooting for ourselves. When the game’s over, it’s all love.
Over the past year, the WNBA has been steadily gaining attention — particularly thanks to up-and-comers like Brink, Caitlin Clark, and Angel Reese. “We all grew up around each other. We’ve known each other since we were literally children,” she says. “I roomed with Caitlin for our 2019 [FIBA U19 World Cup] national team. We won a gold medal in Thailand together. We were 17.” According to Brink, she and Reese are able to bond in a different way: “With Angel, I love her girly side. We can gab about trends and being the feminine girls we are.”
“They’re both incredible people leading the way for us, and I respect and admire them,” Brink adds. But is it hard to balance that basis of mutual respect with the desire to win? (Clark plays for the Indiana Fever, and Reese plays for the Chicago Sky.) Brink acknowledges the paradox: “We’re fiery, crazy competitors on the court, and we’re rooting for ourselves. When the game’s over, it’s all love.”
Here, Brink discusses what’s on her pregame playlists, how she’s keeping wedding planning stress-free, and her favorite ways to stop scrolling.
Elite Daily: Go-to song for warming up before a game?
Cameron Brink: Anything by Kendrick Lamar.
ED: What show are you currently marathoning?
CB: I started Dexter, which I actually like. I’m also the biggest Drag Race fan.
ED: Can you sum up the wedding planning process in one word?
CB: “Unknown,” because I literally haven’t started thinking about anything.
ED: Has it been stressful at all?
CB: I’m not allowing myself to stress. I have a wedding planner, and I know we’re going to have it on Stanford’s campus in the church. It will be in the 2026 off-season, probably like October 2026.
ED: Do you have a group text with your teammates?
CB: Yes. It’s not very interesting. It’s just us making plans or them making fun of me for something — probably being late.
ED: When traveling for games, what’s your favorite way of spending time on the road?
CB: My favorite podcast right now is Oprah and Eckhart Tolle: A New Earth. I mainly listen to spiritual stuff. I’m a little woo-woo. I try to bring in new ways of thinking, and it also helps me avoid being on my phone.
ED: What else do you do to avoid scrolling?
CB: I really like crosswords. I like having a physical book to write in.
I also bedazzle things. I bedazzled my pill case, my camera, and my dad’s TV remote — which he wasn’t happy about. I do it all by hand.
ED: When you do scroll, who’s your favorite person to follow?
CB: Ilona Maher.
ED: Have you ever been starstruck?
CB: I was starstruck by Tyler the Creator. I was out in L.A. with friends, and he complimented my sweater and we were like, “Oh, my God. Hi.”
ED: I know you met Kim Kardashian, too. How was that?
CB: That was obviously incredible. Kim and North came to a game, and they talked to me after. It was so sweet. She’s so beautiful in person.
ED: What are your DMs like?
CB: I actually don’t read my DMs; I’m afraid to go in there. I’ll only look if brands DM me.
ED: You get a lot of thirsty comments. What do you make of them?
CB: People bring them up to me — I think it’s like an inside joke at this point. I just laugh at them.
ED: Do you have a favorite beauty trend?
CB: I like when people take a little bit of dark liner and cover up pimples to look like a beauty mark.
ED: You celebrated your birthday on Dec. 31. Do you resonate with your zodiac sign?
CB: Yes, I do. Capricorns are hard workers. But I’m not as serious as people think Capricorns are — I’m a little sillier.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
