Now it’s official: Kamilla Cardoso will play in the WNBA in the 2024-25 season. This Monday (15), in New York, the Brazilian was highlighted in the draft when she was chosen by the Chicago Sky after a meteoric journey in the NCAA.
At 22 years old, the 2.01m from Minas Gerais will be the 16th athlete from Brazil to play in the North American basketball elite of all time.
With celebrity status in the USA, the Brazilian was already applauded by the public present at the gala event, the outcome of which showed some of the reasons for this. Kamilla was the third overall pick, behind only Caitlin Clark (Indiana Fever) and Cameron Brink (Los Angeles Sparks), among 36 athletes.
Protagonist of the campaign that led South Carolina to the undefeated national college basketball title, with 38 wins, the pivot ended the season as the league’s best defender and main player in the final.
With averages of 14.4 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2 assists and 2.5 blocks per game, Kamilla reached his second university title in a career full of records.
Born in Montes Claros (MG), the pivot will be one of 16 Brazilians who played the best basketball in the world, in a list that includes legends such as Janeth Arcain, Basketball Hall of Famer and four-time champion for the Houston Comets, between 1997 and 2000, Helen Luz, who played between 2001 and 2003 for the Washington Mystics, and Érika de Souza, champion in 2002 for the Los Angeles Sparks.
Drafted with the third overall pick, the Minas Gerais native also surpasses Stephanie Soares, selected fourth by the Dallas Wings, in 2023. In addition to them, Damiris Dantas, from Indiana Fever, also currently represents Brazil in the WNBA.