Kamilla Cardoso's WNBA Draft outfit revealed to loud ovation
South Carolina star Kamilla Cardoso showed off her WNBA Draft outfit Monday night ahead of the event and received a loud ovation.
The Gamecocks star helped lead her team to an undefeated season and a national championship in 2024. She’s expected to be a high pick in this year’s draft.
You can see her arrive at the event in the video below.
Cardoso began her career at Syracuse before transferring after one season. She won two national titles (2022 and ’24) with head coach Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks.
In 33 games last season, Cardoso averaged 14.4 points per game, 9.7 rebounds, two assists and shot 59.4% from the floor. Over the course of her career, Cardoso averaged 10.6 points per game, 7.9 rebounds, 1.2 assists and had a 57.5% shooting percentage.
If there was one woman who allowed Cardoso to excel and jump levels as a basketball player, it was Staley.
“She means a lot to me,” Cardoso said of Staley. “I feel like, since the first day I got to South Carolina, she’s been working so hard to get me ready and prepared for moments like this. I’m just so thankful to have her as a coach. She’s like an inspiration for me and a lot of young girls out there. I’m just so thankful to have her as a coach. She’s the best in the business, you already know.”
Going into the draft, ESPN’s Rebecca Lobo called for Cardoso to be in the conversation for the No. 2 overall pick.
“I think Kamilla is in the conversation for No. 2, especially how she performed over the last month of the season,” Lobo said. “She was dominant.”
To Lobo, what stands out the most about Cardoso’s game is what she does when she wants – and gets – the ball. While she seemed like a lottery pick heading into March, her showing appeared to seal the deal.
“A lot of people have been talking about her ability to run the floor as a 6-7 post player and her relentlessness in doing it in every single possession. When she demands the basketball, which she did every possession over the course of the last month of the season, she just has to demand extra attention inside,” Lobo said. “And she is very good at passing out of double teams. She’s a very good rim protector on the interior.
“So I think especially the effort with which she played, again, over the last three or four weeks of the season really opened a lot of people’s eyes. Before that, was she going to be a lottery pick? Most likely, yes. But certainly, solidified her position in the top four and potentially in the top two or three.”