Certainly not the new that Kamilla Cardoso and the Chicago Sky—not to mention the WNBA as a whole—wanted a week ahead of the league’s 2024 Opening Night. But Cardoso was diagnosed with an injury to her shoulder in training camp on Monday, an injury that will knock her out for 4-6 weeks. Cardoso suffered the injury during the team’s preseason opener.
It’s an unfortunate turn for the No. 3 pick of the Sky, coming off an undefeated championship season with South Carolina during which she grabbed national headlines and established herself as a dominant frontcourt presence with averages of 14.4 points and 9.7 rebounds. She also tallied 2.5 blocks and 2.0 assists in 25.4 minutes per game.
The Sky’s other top rookie, No. 13 pick Brynna Maxwell, is also slated to miss time, out 3-4 weeks with a knee injury.
Coach Teresa Witherspoon addressed the injuries for both players, but did not give details on what injuries they’d suffered. “‘They’re working their butts off to get better and get themselves back into it,’’ Weatherspoon said, per the Chicago Sun-Times. ‘‘This is a long season. We want to make sure we take care of each player.’’
Kamilla Cardoso Will Miss Around 10 Games
The 6-foot-7 Cardoso is expected to come off the bench in her first season in the WNBA, and work her way into the starting five eventually. The injury should keep her out for at least eight games.
Part of the challenge for Weatherspoon was always going to be finding ways to mesh the games of Cardoso and fellow first-rounder Angel Reese, who is expected to be a starter.
“They come in with a tremendous amount of belief in themselves, knowing what they can do. But also, they understand the little things they must be better at. When you have that, you know that they will buy into to becoming better than what they are now,” Weatherspoon said last week.
“If you’ve ever really watched them, they compete. At all costs, they wanna win. Come from winning programs, they’re coached very well. And I like it.”
In their 2024 WNBA mock draft, ESPN tabbed Cardoso as a unique, though raw, prospect:
“There just aren’t that many players in women’s basketball with the size, strength and agility of the 6-7 Cardoso. Which is why she also could go second or third. South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said during the Albany 1 Regional she hopes to see what she calls “Killa Kamilla” at the Final Four: Cardoso focused and decisive, making the most of her physical advantages.”
Chicago Sky Game Will be Aired
The good news for fans of the Chicago Sky is that the team’s second WNBA preseason game will be available for viewing after fans were outraged that the preseason opener against Minnesota last Friday was not televised. The game still drew more than a half-million viewer’s to one fan’s livestream of the game.
The Sky face the New York Liberty at Wintrust Arena. That showdown will be aired on WNBA League Pass, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Said Weatherspoon: “The group of young ladies that we have, it’s a deserving thing for them to be seen. It’s good to know that it changed and for us to be seen and for us to play the game of basketball the way that we love and to have fun doing it with the world being able to watch.”
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WNBA’s Chicago Sky Get Tough News on Kamilla Cardoso