LOS ANGELES — A new era for the Los Angeles Sparks has been ushered in.
All eyes at Brooklyn Academy of Music were on the No. 1 pick in Caitlin Clark, who was a no-brainer pick for the Indiana Fever at the WNBA Draft. But the Los Angeles Sparks made their own headlines by picking forwards Cameron Brink of Stanford with the No. 2 pick and Rickea Jackson from Tennessee at No. 4.
Brink, a 6-foot-4 power forward, was part of the 2021 national championship team. She was a three-time Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year last season, first-team all-American as named by the Associated Press and the USBWA and the Lisa Leslie award for being the best women’s basketball center in college.
She averaged 17.4 points, 11.9 rebounds and a 3.7 blocks per game in her senior year. There’s no doubt that Cameron Brink has a high ceiling in the WNBA.
“I love that I get to stay in the West Coast. And I love that they took a chance on me. I feel like I’m just gonna show that I can work really hard and help them a lot. But I’ll also be close to family, which is really important to me,” said Brink after she got drafted.
Jackson, a 6-2 small forward, is a versatile scorer, averaging 20.2 points per game last season. She has a reputation as a player who drives the lane.
Los Angeles didn’t have a second-round pick but they took USC’s McKenzie Forbes, a 6-0 small forward, with the fourth pick in the third round.
““Rickea is an outstanding scorer whether that’s midrange, three-point shot, and taking it off the bounce,” said Laker great Magic Johnson, who is part of Sparks ownership about Jackson. “Adding a player of that caliber also helps the rest of the roster we already have.”
The Sparks are in rebuilding mode since Nneka Ogwumike and Jordin Canada left via free agency and trade, respectively.
