Kamilla Cardoso to take leave from Chicago Sky: What we know, and when she’ll be back

The Offseason: Bears’ Gervon Dexter, Ozzy Trapilo & a deep dive into Johnson’s coaching

On this episode of “The Offseason,” The Athletic’s Adam Jahns explores Ben Johnson’s coaching style, with a particular emphasis on the details. Then, host Cassie Carlson goes one-on-one with Gervon Dexter, who discusses Bears minicamp with an assist from Tyrique Stevenson. Plus, we catch up with Bears rookie Ozzy Trapilo as he competes for the starting left tackle position.

Angel Reese was thankful for the Los Angeles Sparks at the moment.

The Chicago Sky just beat the Sparks 97-86. Reese turned in a fantastic game, but the offense hummed thanks to Kamilla Cardoso.

There will be a break before Cardoso can provide that again for the Sky, as she’ll compete with Team Brazil at the AmeriCup Tournament starting on June 28.

What we know:

This isn’t the first time Cardoso has represented Brazil. 

Still, Cardoso doesn’t take the opportunity for granted. She holds playing in Brazil in very high regard.

“That’s something I dreamed about since I was a kid, to represent my country,” Cardoso said on Tuesday. “Being able to do it for the third year in a row, it’s amazing.”

Cardoso, who played professionally in China this offseason, will get to return home, something she doesn’t get to do often playing in the WNBA and her overseas commitments.

“It’s an amazing feeling just being able to be back with my Brazilian teammates and reconnect to Brazil,” Cardoso said.

In doing so, Cardoso will take her leave from the Sky for about two weeks. The Sky will without one of their best players for a stretch, which stings even more coming off a win over Los Angeles where the offense and defense came together.

The offense came together thanks to Cardoso’s career-high. 

Now, the Sky will have to find a way to win games without a centerpiece of their offensive game.

“We anticipate her being back for Minnesota on July 6th,” Marsh said on Tuesday.

What the Sky will miss:

Against the Sparks, Cardoso dropped a career-high 27 points. It’s why Reese was thankful for Los Angeles at the moment.

The Sparks had a chance to pick Cardoso in the 2024 WNBA Draft. They opted for Cameron Brink. 

“And they didn’t pick her at No. 2,” Reese said. “We got lucky.”

With Cardoso’s game, not much of it is luck. She’s been scoring more in the 2025 WNBA season, upping her averages from 9.8 points per game to 12.7 points per game.

The results haven’t been there as a team, as the Sky sit at 4-10 overall, but the offense hasn’t been the issue. Cardoso is a reason for that high offensive output.

“She’s a commanding presence down there,” Marsh said.

Teaming up with Reese, Cardoso has been the spearhead of post play for the Sky. Reese played at the perimeter and on the wing, which draws attention from Cardoso and allows her the space to position herself properly in the post.

What’s next:

The Sky don’t have it easy as it is. Playing without Cardoso will make that harder.

The Sky currently rank 12th of the 13 WNBA teams in points per game, and are dead last in the league, allowing 88.2 points per game. 

In the last three games, the Sky have been better offensively. A big part of that is Cardoso, however.

“We got to make up for what we’re losing,” Marsh said. “We’ll hold it down as best we can for the next few games while Kamilla’s competing overseas.”

It helps the Sky have players that can step in. Center Elizabeth Williams is in her 11th season and started last season for the Sky when Cardoso worked her way back from an injury. Williams is a terrific defender and has a dependable offensive game.

Still, other players on the roster need to find ways to be that force on offense. Reese has been doing her part. It’s on the coaching staff to put players in different positions to fill in for Cardoso.

“If we compete with the level effort that we’ve had these last two games, we should still be in a decent position to be in these games and to have a chance to win,” Marsh said.

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