Brazilian Kamila Cardoso is chosen by the Chicago Sky in the WNBA draft – 04/15/2024 – Sports

Brazilian center Kamila Cardoso, 22, was selected on Monday night (15) by the Chicago Sky to compete in the WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association) in 2024.

Current champion of the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) tournament with the South Carolina Gamecocks, the Brazilian was the team’s third choice in the 2024 Draft of the United States women’s basketball league.

It is the best position ever achieved by a Brazilian athlete in US basketball leagues. She will also be the 15th Brazilian in history to compete in the WNBA.

At 2.01 meters, the center was the Gamecocks’ main scorer and rebounder throughout last season, averaging 14 points and almost 10 rebounds per game.

Shining in US basketball had been a dream for the player since she was 13 years old, in 2015, when she started playing at the school where she studied in her hometown, in Montes Claros, Minas Gerais. At the age of 14, she had already moved to the North American country, alone, to fulfill her wish.

“The difference between playing basketball in Brazil and playing basketball here [nos EUA]it’s just that in Brazil we do it for fun,” she said in a recent interview with The Athletic website, adding: “A lot of kids running up and down.”

The girl from Minas Gerais grew up liking football, volleyball and swimming and diving more than basketball, but decided to try the sport after her sister’s coach saw her watching training from the stands and recommended that she try.

She began playing in high school in Brazil, then earned a scholarship to a private school as she became a better player. From then on, she began competing in tournaments, which attracted the attention of agents, when she actually began the path that led her to the NWBA.

Despite having moved out of the country early, she always made a point of representing Brazil. Although the Brazilian women’s basketball team did not qualify for the Paris Olympic Games, the pivot, who was with the team at the pre-Olympics held in Pará, is already thinking about the possibility of helping Brazil win a spot at the Olympic Games. Los Angeles, in 2028.