Sky rookie Kamilla Cardoso is getting closer to making her WNBA debut.
The No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft had a minor setback when she suffered a shoulder injury during Chicago’s preseason game against the Lynx on May 3.
The Sky announced that she would miss four to six weeks, sidelining the former South Carolina center for the start of her professional career. She won the 2024 NCAA championship with the Gamecocks in April, securing an 87-75 win over Caitlin Clark and Iowa in the title game.
Four weeks after her injury, Cardoso appears to be on the right track with her shoulder rehab. When will she return to action? The Sporting News has you covered with the latest updates below.
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What is Kamilla Cardoso’s injury?
The Sky never went into specifics on Cardoso’s ailment, listing their star rookie’s diagnosis as a generic shoulder injury.
The 23-year-old from Brazil went down in her preseason debut against the Lynx, finishing the game with six points, four rebounds, two blocks, one assist and one steal in 13 minutes of action.
Cardoso missed the remainder of the preseason and the Sky’s first six games of the regular season. She is expected to slot into the frontcourt in a tandem role with fellow rookie Angel Reese.
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When will Kamilla Cardoso return?
The Sky provided a positive update on Cardoso’s shoulder injury Friday ahead of Saturday’s game against Clark and the Fever.
Cardoso has been upgraded to “probable/available,” meaning she is likely to make her WNBA debut. That would set up a rematch of the 2024 national title game between Cardoso and Clark.
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Cardoso will make an instant impact for a 3-3 Chicago team that has been better than expected to start the season.
The No. 3 overall pick is coming off a dominant senior season at South Carolina, in which she averaged 14.4 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.5 blocks and 2.0 assists per game.
Cardoso did not start in her one preseason game, so expect her highly anticipated return to come off the bench.
Sky upcoming schedule 2024
The Sky are 3-3 heading into their June 1 contest against the Fever. They sit in eighth place in the WNBA standings.
You can find their next five games below.
| Date | Opponent | Time (ET) | TV channel |
| June 1 | at Fever | 12 p.m. | ESPN |
| June 4 | vs. Liberty | 8 p.m. | NBA TV |
| June 6 | vs. Mystics | 7 p.m. | Prime Video |
| June 8 | vs. Dream | 5 p.m. | NBA TV |
| June 12 | vs. Sun | 8 p.m. | — |