WNBA-Sparks' Brink unhappy with call for male practice players

By Rory Carroll

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -Los Angeles Sparks forward Cameron Brink said she was revolted by the response she had seen online to a call by the team for male players to try out for the practice squad.

The Sparks last week asked via social media for male practice players to sign up for a tryout and got such an overwhelming response that the team stopped taking applications.

Brink did not oppose playing against men in practice but was not pleased with responses she saw to the flyer, which featured her and teammates Dearica Hamby, Rickea Jackson and Kelsey Plum.

"My confession is I'm really icked out by the potential new practice players," Brink said on her Straight to Cam podcast.

"Usually we use (University of Southern California) college guys that also do it for the women's team at USC.

"All the comments are like, 'Let Cameron Brink back me down,' or something about Rickea or something about Kelsey.

"Who are we trusting coming into this gym?"

The Sparks said the team was committed to fostering a respectful environment for its players and emphasized that player safety remains its top priority.

"To clarify, as always for our practice squad tryouts, no Sparks players will participate or be in attendance," the team said in a statement on Tuesday.

"The use of male practice players is a well-established practice in both the WNBA and women's college basketball, and the Sparks have utilized this approach since the league's inception in 1997.

"Additionally, any players selected for the practice squad will undergo a thorough background check process to ensure the safety and well-being of our athletes."

Brink, 23, won an NCAA championship with Stanford before being selected by the Sparks with the second pick of the 2024 WNBA draft.

The 6-foot 4-inch defensive powerhouse said she would not give her full effort against male players selected via the tryout.

"I'm not boxing anyone out," she said. "Lynne (Roberts), our new coach, is going to be screaming at me for not rebounding but I'm not boxing out anyone."

The Sparks take on expansion team the Golden State Valkyries in San Francisco when the 29th WNBA season tips off on May 16.

(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Ken Ferris and Toby Davis)