Chicago Sky center Kamilla Cardoso earned the Women's Chinese Basketball Association's Player of the Week after a dominant week with the Shanghai Swordfish.
Cardoso averaged a double-double in a defining week for the 23-year-old center. She scored 17 points and hauled down 13 rebounds in a Saturday victory over the Xinjiang Magic Deer. The Sky's top-3 selection in 2024 averaged 24.8 points and 14.3 rebounds per game over her last four matchups. She joins a handful of WNBA players who have won the award in previous weeks, including Sky guard Chennedy Carter and Minnesota Lynx forward Myisha Hines-Allen.
Shanghai's record of 10-4 puts them at second place in the league's Group A2 standings, ahead of Natisha Hiedeman and Kalani Brown-led Inner Mongolia and Aari McDonald-led Beijing squads. The Shanxi Flame, led by Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell and Connecticut Sun forward Olivia Nelson-Ododa, currently hold the top spot in the group standings. Sichuan sits in first place of the Group A1 table behind the efforts of former New York Liberty center Han Xu and former Washington Mystics guard Li Meng.
Cardoso, a two-time champion with South Carolina, was selected alongside All-Star forward Angel Reese in the 2024 WNBA Draft. She proved to be a vital part of Chicago's interior presence with seven double-doubles during her rookie season. She joins guard Lindsay Allen, forward Isabelle Harrison, guard Dana Evans and forward Brianna Turner in logging international minutes after playing for Chicago last season. Harrison will join center Elizabeth Williams in Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball, an offseason league that crowns an individual champion after its month-long regular season, in February.
Cardoso averaged 9.8 points and 7.9 rebounds per game during her first season with the Sky. She earned a spot on the WNBA's All-Rookie team with her teammate in Chicago forward Angel Reese.