Chicago Sky star wins big-time award after strong rookie campaign

Kamilla Cardoso has won the Women’s Chinese Basketball Association’s International Player of the Year award. She averaged 20.8 points per game on 64.7% shooting, 10.2 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in 31.4 minutes per game. Her club, the Shanghai Baoshan Dahua Swordfish, finished 5th overall.

Cardoso beat out many other players for the honor, including Chennedy Carter, who averaged 31.4 points and 6 assists per game, Myisha Hynes-Allen, Kelsey Mitchell, Ezinne Kalu, and Kalani Brown. She finished the league’s 10th-leading scorer and 6th-leading rebounder while making a strong defensive impact.

Last year, New York Liberty center Jonquel Jones won the honor — and followed that up with a WNBA title and Finals MVP.

Kamilla Cardoso will help lead a revamped Chicago Sky roster next season

Next month, Cardoso will return to the Chicago Sky for her second season in the WNBA, where she’ll once again play alongside All-Star Angel Reese, as well as center Elizabeth Williams, forward Michaele Onyenwere, and veteran guard Rachel Banham.

But, the roster around those few returners has largely changed. The Sky have a brand-new coaching staff led by Tyler Marsh, who previously served as an assistant coach on the Las Vegas Aces. They’ve also brought in future Hall of Fame guard Courtney Vandersloot, two-time All-Star guard Ariel Atkins, forward Rebecca Allen, and former Sparks guard Kia Nurse.

Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images

That core should help elevate the Sky to a more competitive team next season. Last year, they finished with a 13-27 record and were two games out of the playoffs after dealing with a myriad of injuries. The Sky fired head coach Teresa Weatherspoon at the season’s end, opted not to re-sign standout guard Chennedy Carter, and prioritized acquiring Atkins in the offseason, in exchange for their No. 3 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft.

Cardoso will undeniably play a critical role in the team’s success next season. She’ll look to follow a tremendous season overseas and make a leap heading into her sophomore season. In her rookie year, the former South Carolina standout averaged 9.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game. That was despite missing time with a shoulder injury suffered early in the season — and without a high-caliber playmaker on the roster. With a year of experience under her belt, and the WNBA’s all-time assist leader on the roster (Vandersloot) Cardoso is well-positioned for an even more impactful second-year campaign.