Once a winner, always a winner.
Chicago Sky center Kamilla Cardoso has excelled at nearly all of her stops in her basketball career. Cardoso averaged nearly 10 points and eight rebounds per game during her first season in the WNBA. She nearly mirrored her three seasons with South Carolina, where the star center helped guide South Carolina to an undefeated record and an NCAA championship during her senior year. The former McDonald's All-American was the highest-ranked recruit in Syracuse basketball history before transferring to the SEC powerhouse, according to Syracuse.com.
To the head coach of the Women's Chinese Basketball Association's Shanghai Swordfish, it may not be long before she takes her next giant leap in her WNBA career.
"She’ll be more confident and take her game to another level in the WNBA after playing with us this season," Shanghai's coach said, via a Monday tweet from Chinese Women's Hoop Show. "I'll give her a day off—she played through the flu on medication. I’m deeply moved."
Cardoso has been nothing short of incredible during her recent stint in the WCBA.
The 6-foot-7 center is putting up averages of 20.8 points and 10.2 rebounds per game in 19 games this season, according to the league's website. She has guided the Swordfish to a record of 13-7, putting them in third place in the league's Group A2 standings. The former South Carolina star earned the league's Player of the Week in December after logging 32 points and 14 rebounds in a win over Jiangsu.
Her shot consistency in the WCBA is one of her largest leaps forward from her first few months with the Sky. She is hitting just under 64% of her shots from the floor, a stark contrast to her average of just above 46% in her first two months in the WNBA. Her size and strength in the paint made her an ideal fit for the Sky in the 2024 WNBA Draft, who were in need of paint scoring after losing forwards Candace Parker and Emma Meesseman following the 2022 season.
Cardoso has shown flashes of her passing potential by becoming one of Shanghai's leading passers this season. She recorded eight assists in two near-triple-doubles against Hebei and Zhejiang. The Brazilian center averaged a season-high three assists per game for the Sky in the month of August. She used her vision in the post to find a variety of open looks in the halfcourt, including plenty of passes to her frontcourt partner in rookie forward Angel Reese.
Even as she shows signs of taking her next big step, Cardoso still has room to improve in one key area.
"My one ask: please lower your center of gravity a bit to avoid injuries," Shanghai's coach continued, via Chinese Women's Hoops Show. "But she doesn’t listen to me, just like my own kid. Fans, do me a favor—remind her to lower that center of gravity."