VIDEO: No. 1 pick grabs WNBA’s No. 2 pick by the neck before Indiana Fever vs Los Angeles Sparks match WNBA

Caitliп Clark aпd Cameroп Briпk have beeп frieпds for five years (
Image: Getty Images)

The devastating news of Cameron Brink’s torn ACL prompted messages of sympathy from around the WNBA on Wednesday, including from fellow rookie phenom Caitlin Clark.

The top two selections in 2024’s transformative draft class, Clark has maintained a relationship with Brink for the last five years and expressed confidence in her “friend” to navigate the lengthy recovery process. “Obviously [that’s devastating], you never want to see anybody deal with any sort of injury, but know she’s a type of person that will be able to get through,” Clark told reporters.

“It breaks your heart. She’s such a good basketball player but even a better person… her being one of my friends and kinda going through this process together.” Indiana Fever coach Christie Sides also briefly added her condolences at the end of Wednesday’s media availability

. “My thoughts are with the LA [Los Angeles Sparks] team… that’s just really sad, hoping the best for [Brink],” Sides said. Clark and Brink featured in the legendary 2020 high school cohort alongside household names Paige Bueckers, Angel Reese, Kamilla Cardoso and Hailey Van Lith, initially forging their friendship at the 2019 USA U19 World Cup in Bangkok.

The future lowa star played just seven minutes in a thrilling overtime victory over Australia while Brink didn’t get off the bench, beginning a remarkable transformation for the WNBA’s two leading Rookie of the Year candidates.

“When we were 17 years old we were roommates on the road in Thailand, and then getting to share draft weekend together or award shows our junior year of college,” Clark said. “She was obviously having a great start to her rookie year, but I know she’ll bounce back stronger and I know so many people are thinking of her and praying for her.”

Briпk aпd Clark were selected with the first two picks iп this year’s WNBA Draft ( Image:

Brink was an immediate defensive revelation for the Sparks upon entering the WNBA last month, registering 11 blocks in her first three appearances, and begап to show flashes of a dominant offensive player.

The Stanford grad totaled 16 points and dished out two assists in the game before she sustained her ACL injury. Clark’s Fever have played the Sparks twice during the early WNBA season, and her gritty characterization of Brink proved dead on as the Los Angeles center vowed to return stronger than ever.

“You never think it will happen to you. And despite all the hard work sometimes it does. This is hard to fathom but I know it will only make me stronger,” Brink captioned an Instagram post shortly after her injury was aππουπced.

“I will not be derailed, and I will continue to love this life – I’m not defined by basketball, but it is something that I love deeply, and I will work every day to get back to it,” she continued. “It’s not goodbye basketball; it’s just a see you later. I’m always so thankful for your thoughts and prayers.”