Who is Kamilla Cardoso? Chicago's Sky's WNBA first-round pick

The Chicago Sky makes big splash in WNBA draft

With the No. 3 pick in the WNBA Draft, the Chicago Sky selected South Carolina's Kamilla Cardoso, who led her team to a national championship and an undefeated season.   

The Sky acquired that pick from the Phoenix Mercury as part of the Kahleah Copper trade.  

Cardoso is a 6-foot, 7-inch center who played for the South Carolina Gamecocks after transferring from Syracuse after her freshman year. She will join fellow rookie Angel Reese. 

"It's going to be great," said Cardoso. "Two great players together. Nobody's going to get rebounds on us."

Kamilla Cardoso celebrates with head coach Dawn Staley of the South Carolina Gamecocks after beating the Iowa Hawkeyes in the 2024 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament National Championship on April 07, 2024, in Cleveland, Ohio.  Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Cardoso moved from Montes Claros, Brazil, to the United States when she was 15 years old and played high school basketball for Hamilton Heights Christian Academy in Chattanooga, Tenn.

In her senior year at South Carolina, Cardoso averaged 14.4 points and nearly 10 rebounds a game as the Gamecocks went 33-0 and defeated the Iowa Hawkeyes for the NCAA women's basketball championship. 

Cardoso was named the tournament's most outstanding player after her 15-point, 17-rebound performance against Caitlin Clark and the Hawkeyes. 

Cardoso was a highly recruited talent after playing high school basketball in Tennessee. She chose to attend Syracuse but also considered South Carolina and ultimately decided to play for the Gamecocks. 

She ended her college career as a two-time national champion and a second-team Associated Press All-American

In high school, she averaged 24.1 points, 15.8 rebounds, and 9.2 blocks as a senior to earn 2020 McDonald's All-America status. She was ranked the No. 1 center and No. 5 overall player in the Class of 2020.  

"They got what they wanted in the draft, which was two stars to build around," said CBS 2's Jori Parys. "You knew it was going to be a new-look team. It feels like it's going to be a new experience because of what we saw in college."

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