Coach guarantees former South Carolina basketball great will become WNBA legend

South Carolina basketball alum Kamilla Cardoso had a delayed start to her rookie season in the WNBA thanks to a shoulder injury suffered during the preseason. However, since getting back on the court, the Brazil native has been productive at the center position, and she and Angel Reese have become one of the top post duos in the league even as first-year players.

On Wednesday, Cardoso and Reese logged a double-double in the same game for the third time, setting a new all-time rookie teammate record. The strong performance pushed Cardoso's season numbers up to about 8 points and 8 rebounds per game (despite playing very limited minutes when she first returned from her injury), and her head coach has offered a bold prediction regarding her star center's future in the WNBA.

Teresa Weatherspoon, a WNBA legend who is now in her first season as the Sky's head coach, believes that Cardoso will be an elite player in the league.

Speaking to the media earlier this week, she told reporters (including Clutch Points' Chicago Sky reporter Christopher Smith) that Cardoso "is going to be one that you talk about forever in this league. She will be known as one of the best bigs to play this game. You can mark that...she's only going to get better."

Weatherspoon has plenty of reasons to believe in her team's 1st pick from the 2024 WNBA Draft. Despite her limited playing time early, Cardoso already ranks in the top-10 in the W in blocks per game and is one of just 11 players to average more than 1.0 blocks per contest. Even though she plays next to the top rebounder in the WNBA right now (fellow rookie Angel Reese), Cardoso is 12th overall in per-game rebounding numbers, and every player ahead of her on the list plays more minutes than she does.

Once Cardoso becomes more comfortable scoring against WNBA defenses, the 6'7" center will be a shoo-in for future WNBA All-Star Games, and she will be well on her way to proving her coach correct.