Last year, South Carolina basketball fans could barely keep up as five Gamecocks were selected in the WNBA Draft. Aliyah Boston was the first pick, Laeticia Amihere and Zia Cooke were also 1st rounders, and Brea Beal and Victaria Saxton were also picked.
The 2024 WNBA Draft will not see five Gamecocks be taken by a professional franchise. However, the one South Carolina basketball star who entered her name into the draft (All-American center Kamilla Cardoso) knew that she would be picked in the 1st round, likely in the top-4 picks.
After the expected top pick saw Iowa Hawkeye guard Caitlin Clark go to the Indiana Fever (where Aliyah Boston was last year's WNBA Rookie of the Year), Stanford Cardinal forward Cameron Brink was drafted second by the Los Angels Sparks.
The third pick, though, was Kamilla Cardoso. With her mother, sister, and coach Dawn Staley proudly in attendance, WNBA Commissioner Kathy Engelbert read the name "Kamilla Cardoso" as the third pick of the WNBA Draft, fulfilling a long-term dream for the South Carolina basketball star.
The 6'7" Brazilian center was taken by the Chicago Sky, immediately becoming the tallest player on the roster. There was no player on the Sky over 6'3" before the addition of Cardoso, and they had no true center on the team. Now, with the Chicago Sky, Kamilla Cardoso will have plenty of early opportunities to establish herself as a star in the W.
Cardoso will be one of the tallest players in the league the moment she steps on the floor for the first time. Her two-way ability (she led the SEC in both field goal percentage and blocked shots) will allow her to transition to the professional game quickly.
The Sky traded for the 3rd pick in the draft, presumably so that they could select Cardoso. She will make the franchise very thankful that they made that trade once the season begins next month.