Cameron Brink: The Warm-Up

“My earliest memories around basketball weren’t even about the game, it was the outfits, the people I was with, and the music that was playing,” WNBA star Cameron Brink tells Apple Music. “That energy never left. The right playlist gets you locked into who you are before you step on the floor.” Basketball has been a major part of the Los Angeles Sparks player’s life since the beginning—kickstarted by her family’s close friendship with the family of NBA legend, Steph Curry, who is also her godbrother. It’s unsurprising those early memories left a lasting impression. When it comes to picking hype-up music, Brink looks to hip-hop first and foremost, with tracks by Tyler, The Creator, Nipsey Hussle, Doja Cat, and MF DOOM among others on her handpicked playlist. “I want music with real substance behind it, something that hits different when you sit with it,” she says. “My taste runs wide though. I’ll go from something smooth and focused to something that just makes you feel like yourself.” Proving her point, she’s selected plenty of pop and dance, too, with tracks from Charli xcx, LISA, Fred again.., and Sabrina Carpenter throughout. She highlights “Yeah Glo!” by GloRilla as a personal favorite. “This song is pure affirmation,” she says. “GloRilla made it as a reminder to herself of who she is, and that’s exactly how it feels when it comes on. You’re not overthinking anything. You just know.” Kendrick Lamar’s “King Kunta” is another go-to for Brink, because “there’s no song that makes you feel more like yourself. The confidence in that record is contagious. When that beat drops, you’re ready.”