Breaking the Silence: Cameron Brink and the Fight for Mental Health in Women’s Basketball

In light of the sport’s recent meteoric rise in popularity, women’s basketball presents a unique set of mental and emotional demands for its athletes. From the pressures of rigorous training and intense competition to the added challenges of media scrutiny and gender disparities in professional sports, female basketball players often navigate mental health struggles in silence. The expectation for these athletes to balance peak performance with personal well-being has created a need for mental health support–a need which often goes unmet due to stifling stigmas surrounding mental health conversations. According to the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association, a culture of “toughness” limits athletes’ willingness to seek help for mental health concerns, despite 30% of Division I women’s basketball players reporting feeling that difficulties were piling up so high that they could not overcome them. Furthermore, a 2024 study by the NCAA found that female basketball players receive approximately three times more threats and abusive messages via social media than their male counterparts. Fortunately, more and more women’s basketball players have been speaking openly about their mental health, using their growing platforms to advocate for awareness and support. One such athlete is Cameron Brink, forward for the Los Angeles Sparks, whose story highlights resilience in the face of the ups and downs of life on the court.

 In Cameron Brink’s freshman season at Stanford University, she averaged 9.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks per game, helping lead Stanford University women’s basketball program to their first national title since 1992– all in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. A self-proclaimed lifelong worrier, Brink found that she was struggling mentally, despite all of her success. In a 2023 profile by Just Women’s Sports, Brink stated, “I feel so guilty because I live this privileged life… and I have so many blessings, so many people who love me, and I’m doing relatively well in basketball. So, why do I feel bad?” Brink shared that she began therapy to address these concerns, noting, “It opens up more wounds, and speaking about it makes it more real sometimes. But it’s helping. Therapy helps.” 

In September of 2022, Cameron Brink earned the CalHOPE Courage Award for sharing her mental health challenges and serving as a role model to other athletes, demonstrating that seeking help is not a show of weakness. In fact, Brink has said that addressing her mental health enables her to continue improving her game, and it even helped earn her a spot in the WNBA on the Los Angeles Sparks in 2024. She was also awarded a spot on Team USA for the 2024 Summer Olympics but had her Olympic dreams postponed when she tore her ACL in a game against the Connecticut Sun. The picture of resilience, Brink told Women’s Health that she met both the lowest version and strongest version of herself in 2024, refusing to let the injury slow her momentum. Brink also spoke about the power of gratitude, sharing that it helped her reframe the injury as an opportunity to grow closer with family, to focus on her health, and to self-reflect. This outlook has informed her well-rounded comeback efforts, which focus on both her physical and mental well-being.Cameron Brink’s openness, resilience, and positive mindset have empowered her to become an inspiring advocate for mental health in women’s sports. As she said in 2022, “Being open about the importance of treating mental health, as well as the benefits of counseling, has made me want to be an example and a role model for other young people who may not understand that it’s okay not to be okay. Hopefully my experience and openness about treating mental health will help others understand that seeking help is one of the most courageous things you can do.”

If you are or someone you know is struggling with mental health concerns, contact us to connect with one of our therapists who can help you on your wellness journey.