Brink decided to make a change for the sake of her mental well-being. “I just decided to remove myself. I knew I deserved higher, so I left. And I’m comfortable I did,” she said.
Before senior 12 months, Brink transferred to a recently opened school called Mountainside High. The fresh start suited her socially and on the court. Brink averaged 19.7 points and 12.9 rebounds per game as a senior, and was named to the McDonald’s and Jordan Brand Classic All-American teams in 2020.
4. She was recruited by Stanford, where she became a defensive standout.
Talk a few full-circle moment: Stanford, the varsity which sparked her love for basketball as a middle schooler, made Brink her first-ever scholarship offer. Brink was already laser-focused on Stanford, so it was a natural fit to affix the team under coach Tara VanDerveer.
During Brink’s freshman season, the team won all 20 games she began. They also clinched their first NCAA championship since 1992, eking out the victory by one point. Brink contributed 10 of the team’s 54 points in that game and led in blocks.
During her first three years of faculty, Brink set—then set—the varsity record for single-season blocks, ending with 118 as a junior, rating number two within the country. As a sophomore and junior, she led the team in points, rebounds, and blocks.
Brink helped her team change into Pac-12 regular season champions for 4 consecutive seasons and win the Pac-12 tournament in 2021 and 2022. In 2024, Brink finished her collegiate profession with probably the most blocks in Stanford history with 424—a stat that helped her win the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award.
5. Steph Curry doles out some handy training advice.
Brink has a secret weapon that’s turn out to be useful during her journey to the WNBA: Her godbrother is one in all the NBA’s top shooters, Stephen Curry. Their dads played basketball together in college, and their mothers were college roommates. The families remain close friendsand the Currys are Brink’s godparents.
At a press conference before Brink’s first NCAA tournament, Curry told reporters that he and his dad “spent a bit of little bit of time together with her [and] gave her some pointers” to develop her jump shot. He added that she’s “off and running” now and “it’s been awesome to observe” her develop as a player.
So when it got here time for the 2024 WNBA draft, it’s no surprise that Brink reached out to him to share the moment. She Facetimed Curry minutes before it kicked off and later told reporters that her godbrother reminded her to “have a good time with it.”
6. Over one million people follow her on social media.
Brink’s athletic dominance, fashion sense—she was recently featured in a Skims campaign alongside other WNBA players—and openness on social media made her a must-follow: She’s racked up nearly 800,000 on Instagram and over 300,000 on TikTok.
So it’s only fitting that Brink has benefited from the NCAA’s 2019 Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) ruling, which allows student athletes to earn cash from brand deals. According to On3she’s made near $300,000 through NIL partnerships (with brands like Estee Lauder and Sprouts) this 12 months through April 16, which makes her the tenth highest-paid women’s basketball player within the NCAA.
7. Brink made history with a New Balance sponsorship.
Despite growing up within the Nike zip code and self-describing herself as a “Nike kid” because of her parents’ jobs, Brink accepted a sponsorship contract with New Balance in August 2023. According to a statement from the brandshe’s New Balance’s first sponsored female basketball player.
