A concerning trend emerges as injuries continue to wreak havoc on the WNBA

The GIST: LA Spark Cameron Brink has been cleared to hit the hardwood nearly 13 months after tearing her ACL, but as she prepares to make her highly-anticipated return, injuries continue to wreak havoc across the league — and the repercussions could be far-reaching.

❤️‍🩹 NY Liberty icon Breanna Stewart avoids serious injury: Seafoam supporters held their collective breath on Saturday when Stewie left the court just three minutes into NY’s 101–99 loss to the LA Sparks. The two-time MVP shouldn’t miss extended time though, a huge relief for NY as they jockey for control of the Eastern Conference and enter a brutal stretch of their schedule.

• It’s the latest in a string of high-profile injuries: Golden State Valkyries All-Star Kayla Thornton also underwent season-ending knee surgery on Friday, a devastating blow for the Valks, who are fighting for a playoff spot in their inaugural season.

👀 A concerning injury trend emerges: With half the schedule still to play, there’s already been 164 documented injuries across the league so far this season. For context, there were 203 total last season and just 175 in 2023. That’s already a shocking 138% increase in two short years, and the question on everyone’s mind is why?

• Of course, there are plenty of variables to consider, but there has been a notable increase in the number of regular-season games each team plays, up from 40 to 44. This resulted in a condensed schedule and more travel — and players have noticed.

• Not to mention, All-Stars didn’t enjoy much of a break last week, so players like the now-injured Stewart and Thornton missed out on much-needed recovery time. Add scheduling to the list of grievances as collective bargaining agreement talks continue.