Olympics News: U.S. Women's Basketball Team Picks Cameron Brink's Replacement (nuna)

LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA – MAY 15: Naz Hillmon #0 of the Atlanta Dream controls the ball against Cameron Brink #22 and Dearica Hamby #5 of the Los Angeles Sparks in the first half at Walter Pyramid on May 15, 2024 in Long Beach, California. USA Basketball has named Cameron Brink’s replacement for the Paris 2024 Olympics.© Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

The Paris 2024 Olympics will host a 3×3 Basketball event. The USA Women’s National Team was set to send four players to compete: Cierra Burdick, Rhyne Howard, Hailey Van Lith, and Cameron Brink. Sadly, Brink suffered a season-ending ACL tear during a game with the Los Angeles Sparks, leading to her having to withdraw from the Olympics. Now, USA Basketball has named her replacement.

Fellow Sparks player Dearica Hamby has now been named as Brink’s replacement. Hamby will now join Burdick, Howard, and Van Lith as the fourth member of the 3×3 team.

Hamby is a longtime veteran in the WNBA, having started her career with the then-San Antonio Stars in 2015 when she was drafted No. 6 overall out of Wake Forest.

Hamby spent eight seasons with the Stars, which would become the Las Vegas Aces. During that time she secured Sixth Woman of the Year honors in the 2019 season, securing 11.0 points per game, 7.6 rebounds per game, and 1.9 assists per game. She followed that up with another Sixth Woman of the Year honor in 2020, securing 13.0 points per game, 7.1 rebounds per game, and 1.7 steals per game.

Hamby was named an All-Star in both the 2021 and 2022 seasons, helping the Aces to their first WNBA Championship in 2022. She was then traded to the Los Angeles Sparks ahead of the 2023 season.

Hamby is currently averaging 17.8 points per game, 10.5 rebounds per game, 3.5 assists per game, and 1.5 rebounds per game in the 2024 season.

Hamby is on pace to receive her third All-Star honor, and she will now heading to the Summer Olympics to help USA Basketball come away with a coveted gold medal in Paris.

Burdick and Hamby are now the longest-tenured WNBA veterans on the team. Howard was drafted into the WNBA in 2022, and Van Lith is still playing for the LSU Tigers. Brink would have also been the only rookie on the USA team, but she will have to wait until she is fully healed next year to return to the court.

Brink’s final year with Stanford saw her secure 17.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 3.7 blocks per game while shooting 51.1 percent from the field. So far in her WNBA rookie season, the young forward was averaging 7.5 points per game, 5.3 rebounds per game, 1.7 assists per game, and 1.1 steals per game.

Brink will have to rehab her way back to the court. The typical healing time for an ACL tear is six to nine months, according to clevelandclinic.org.

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