Cameron Brink refuses to be sidelined

Brink is a brand partnerships juggernaut, leading all WNBA athletes in brand deals with 31 as of last March. But what’s especially interesting is how she navigated partnerships after her devastating ACL injury in June 2024, just 15 games into her much-hyped rookie season. The No. 2 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft missed the remainder of that season, returning to the court 13 months later.

Historically, serious injuries like ACL tears can jeopardize brand deals. Companies typically partner with athletes when they’re excelling in competition, centering on campaigns and activations during a season or around tentpole events — and a player’s absence from the action can make them less attractive to brands.

• When Brink was injured, she told herself she wouldn’t “sit around and mope” and set a goal to “make as much money as possible during that time.” She had an excellent collegiate resume and a lot of time on her hands, which she channeled into building her brand portfolio.

Brink “made it [her] mission to put [herself] out there,” and it worked. During that time, she launched new campaigns with New Balance, Urban Decay, SoFi, and jewelry brand Gorjana and modeled for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, proving that athletes remain marketable when sidelined.

Instead of being a major setback, Brink considers it great time in her life because she learned “so much on the business side.”

• “I think I worked myself a little bit too hard, if I'm being honest, but it was worth it in the end,” she said. “And I really wanted to show brand partners that I'm very dedicated, and I really appreciate what they do and the marketing of it all.”

Now that she’s healthy, she wants to focus on basketball and being more intentional about her partnerships, with a renewed focus on brands that speak to her, campaigns that match her personal image, and products she actually uses.

This spring, she launched a new campaign with Optimum Nutrition, the sponsorship she integrates the most in her everyday life. She’s always wanted to work with a brand that “supports [her] more on the athletic side,” and for her, that’s Optimum.

• She’s also continuing to work with Gorjana, which overlaps with her love of fashion and her profile as an elite athlete. She mentioned how Gorjana has “supported all facets of women’s sports” and how they “pour into the other female athletes on their roster.”

• Another deal she highlighted was her 2024 Skims campaign, which was “a great start to pro sports, being in such a cool shoot with so many icons” — something she “manifested.” She said, “You definitely put feelers out for what you're interested in.”

A tentpole of her portfolio is New Balance — she’s the first female pro hooper on their roster. “They kind of took a chance on me,” Brink said. “I was always an admirer of what they were doing marketing-wise...the way they market their footwear especially. Every commercial is just so captivating, so I was just really excited that they even wanted to sign me.”

Next on her list of dream partnerships? She’s eyeing opportunities around AI, describing her home as an “AI and tech household.” She’s also hoping to bridge the gap between women athletes and high-end fashion houses. “I just love the fashion world — I think it's fascinating.” Always à la mode.

It may seem antithetical to partner with an elite athlete when they’re not playing, but Brink proves this can be mutually beneficial: Injured athletes have more time to dedicate to brand deals, and these sponsorships give eager fans the opportunity to engage with inactive athletes.

It can also show fans a company’s support of women athletes in their toughest moments, building brand affinity and awareness among avid women’s sports fans. They can also leverage an athlete’s personality outside of their sport, which women’s sports fans have proven to be particularly hungry for.

• Then there’s the gratitude athletes feel to the brands that stuck by them, something Brink expressed with her long-term partners. She remembers being thankful that “people were still interested” because “when you are injured, you kind of feel forgotten about a little bit.”

Other young women ballers are embracing Brink’s mindset. Last March, USC star JuJu Watkins tore her ACL and has been sidelined since. That hasn’t stopped Watkins from building her brand portfolio: Since her injury, she became the first active NCAA athlete to invest in a pro women’s sports team through Boston Legacy FC while also investing in Offball, an athlete-driven media startup.

Brink gained much from her year recovering from injury, especially with her popular podcast, which allowed people to connect with her “on a deeper level” and showed people who she is “outside of basketball.” It’s yet another reminder that women athletes are dynamic and multifaceted — and campaigns can and should adapt to where they are in their lives.