LOS ANGELES -- Sparks forward Cameron Brink said she was unsettled by the response she saw online to a call by the team for men to try out for the practice squad.
The Sparks, in a social media post last week, put out a call 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 she was not pleased with responses she saw to the flyer, which featured her and teammates Dearica Hamby, Rickea Jackson and Kelsey Plum.
We're looking for male practice players for the 2025 season. Do you have what it takes?
— Los Angeles Sparks (@LASparks) March 9, 2025
Join us for tryouts:
📅 Saturday, April 12
⏰ 10-12 PM
📍 El Camino College
Register & fill out the waiver today: https://t.co/pZwGxFj9IZ pic.twitter.com/Is794FF0PA
"My confession is I'm really icked out by the potential new practice players," Brink said on her "Straight to Cam" podcast that she co-hosts with Sydel Curry-Lee. "Usually, we use [USC] 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?"
In a statement Wednesday, the Sparks said their players do not attend or participate in practice squad tryouts and anyone selected as a practice squad player would first undergo a thorough background check.
"The Los Angeles Sparks are committed to fostering a safe and respectful environment for all our players and want to emphasize that player safety remains our top priority," the statement read.
"To clarify, as always for our practice squad tryouts, no Sparks players will participate or be in attendance. 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."
Brink, 23, won an NCAA championship with Stanford in 2021 before being selected by the Sparks with the second pick of the 2024 WNBA draft.
The 6-foot-4 defensive standout said she would not box out for rebounding position in practices with men.
"Lynne [Roberts], our new coach, is going to be screaming at me for not rebounding, but I'm not boxing out anyone," she said.
The Sparks will take on the expansion Golden State Valkyries in San Francisco when the WNBA season tips off May 16.
Reuters contributed to this report.