Kamilla Soares Cardoso is a professional basketball player for the Chicago sky of the women National Basketball Association. She is known for her impressive height and skill on the court. She played college basketball for the South Carolina Gamecocks and Syracuse. Kamila Cardoso has quickly become a name to watch in the world of women’s basketball. The 6foot7 and 140 pounds athlete has already accomplished so much in her young career. Cardoso’s exceptional performance on the court has earned her numerous accolades, including being named a McDonald’s AllAmerican and a firstteam AllAmerican.
The Chicago Sky drafted Cardoso No. 3 overall during the first round of 16th April 2024 WNBA Draft in New York City, giving the former Gamecocks star a new professional home a week after she helped the South Carolina women’s basketball team win its third national championship. She will team up with her high school and collegiate rival and nemesis, LSU’s Angel Reese, who happened to be selected by the same team at no. 7 overall. Regardless of what the future holds, one thing is for certain: Kamila Cardoso is a rising star on the court and in life.
Kamilla Cardoso was Born on April 30, 2001, in Montes Claros, Minas Gerais, Brazil. She comes from a loving and supportive family, with her mother Janete Soares being a major influence in her life. Cardoso has one sister, though her name remains unknown. She grew up with a passion for basketball and her early life was marked by her dedication to the sport, which led her to pursue it professionally. The native of Brazil left her family as a middleschooler to develop her game in the United States.
Cardoso joined Hamilton Heights Christian Academy in Chattanooga, Tennessee, for her high school education where she grew about halfafoot and learnt to speak English. She played high school basketball for Hamilton Heights Christian Academy and as a senior, she averaged 24.1 points, 15.8 rebounds and 9.2 blocks per game. Cardoso was selected to play in the McDonald's AllAmerican Game and the Jordan Brand Classic. She was Rated a fivestar recruit and the number five player in her class by ESPN. She then committed to play college basketball for Syracuse over offers from powerhouses like UConn, Ohio State, Mississippi State and South Carolina. She was the highestrated recruit in program history.
As a freshman at Syracuse, Cardoso was the team's starting center and averaged 13.6 points, eight rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game, becoming the first player in program history to win the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Freshman of the Year award. She shared ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors from the league's coaches with Lorela Cubaj and was named firstteam AllACC by the BlueRibbon Panel. Following the season, Cardoso transferred to South Carolina. As a sophomore, she was a reserve for Aliyah Boston, averaging 5.4 points and 5.1 rebounds per game and helping her team win the national championship. In her junior season, Cardoso averaged 9.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game off the bench. She was named Southeastern Conference (SEC) Sixth Woman of the Year and secondteam AllSEC.
After the departure of Aaliyah to the WNBA, the 6foot7 Cardoso took her place front and centre for the Gamecocks. Besides showing a strong presence under the basket, Cardoso’s also shot more from the outside. She became a hardtostop player, shooting better from the field while blocking shots on the way to the national title. She passed creatively and guarded tough and that meant a few bruises for anyone who took the ball into Cardoso’s area. Besides a strong presence under the basket, Cardoso’s also shot more from the outside.
On 7 April 2024, Cardoso was named the NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player following a dominant 15point, 17rebound performance in her team's 2024 national championship win. She was also named the 2024 SEC Defensive Player of the Year, a firstteam AllSEC player and an AllAmerican by various media outlets as coach Dawn Staley and the No. 1 Gamecocks finished the season a perfect 380.
Cardoso — a native of Brazil who started her college career at Syracuse — could have returned to South Carolina and used a fifth COVID year of eligibility but announced during USC’s NCAA Tournament run she’d be entering the WNBA after her senior season.
She finished her time in South Carolina as a twotime national champion (Cardoso also backed up Aliyah Boston at center on USC’s 2022 title team) and averaged a careerhigh 14.4 points and 9.7 rebounds per game as a starter this season.
A fearsome presence in the paint, Cardoso shot 59.4% from the field as a senior at USC and 57.5% in her college career while blocking 263 shots (2.1 per game) in four years.
She was projected to be a third or fourth pick by most mock drafts in the 2024 draft held at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Cardoso’s dominant showing in the 2024 tournament ensured that the Chicago Sky drafted her