Chicago Sky center Kamilla Cardoso earned the Women's Chinese Basketball Association's International Player of the Year, according to a Wednesday tweet from Chinese Women's Hoop Show.
Cardoso, a rookie standout for the Sky during their 2024 campaign, showed flashes of stardom during her most recent stint with the Shanghai Swordfish. She ended her first stint overseas with averages of 20.3 points, 10.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. The 6-foot-7 center continued her excellence into the WCBA's playoffs, where she logged double-doubles in four of her five games as the Swordfish fought their way to the league's quarterfinals.
Cardoso and her frontcourt teammate, forward Angel Reese, each earned their fair share of honors during their first WNBA offseason.
Reese would take home a spot on Unrivaled's All-League Second Team and its Defensive Player of the Year Award following a successful season of her own. She would lead the newly formed league in total rebounds and was one of four players to average double-digit boards. The Rose Basketball Club would go on to claim victory in Unrivaled's first championship game with a win over Atlanta Dream guard Rhyne Howard and the Vinyl.
Will Cardoso and Reese's excellence translate to the 2025 WNBA season?
With new expectations and a new veteran core to help them achieve them, it will be up to Reese and Cardoso to carry over their excellence from their respective stints in what could be a defining year for the Windy City squad.
Chicago will be able to continue to strengthen its young core should their future draft selection from the Connecticut Sun make the lottery. But the Sky have accelerated their recent rebuild and flipped the switch into win-now mode with the acquisitions of an entirely new backcourt and an emphasis on 3-point shooting. Chicago put itself under a brighter spotlight when it added two notable guards, Courtney Vandersloot and Ariel Atkins, who can elevate the game of the budding bigs as veteran leaders and long-range shooters.
Thankfully, both players added to or strengthened parts of their skill sets in the offseason.
Reese worked with a Hall-of-Famer in Lisa Leslie to improve her finishing around the rim. Her flashes of confidence from the mid-range showed she is willing and able to add extra dimensions to her game on offense, which will be key in her development into a star for the Sky. Cardoso showed off her passing game with the Swordfish with four games of eight assists or more, which can add to Chicago's offense if it can find creative ways to run it through her.