Injury delays Kamilla Cardoso’s WNBA debut

Former Gamecock Kamilla Cardoso will have to wait to make her official WNBA debut.

She’ll miss four to six weeks with a shoulder injury she sustained in the Chicago Sky’s first preseason game Friday, the organization announced Monday. Chicago did not specify the exact nature of her injury, only offering a timeline.

Cardoso played 13 minutes in the Sky’s game versus the Minnesota Lynx last week, scoring six points (3-of-5 shooting), snagging four rebounds and swatting two opponent shots. She did not play in the second half, though, after taking some contact that caused her to fall on her right shoulder. Cardoso has not fully participated in practice since then, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

Chicago selected Cardoso with the No. 3 pick in the WNBA Draft last month. She became the 11th first-round and fifth top-five pick of the Dawn Staley era. Cardoso’s selection came after a stellar senior season at South Carolina, which saw her help lead the Gamecocks to an undefeated season and a national championship, earning the Final Four Most Outstanding Player award along the way.

The Sky’s regular season begins May 15 against the Dallas Wings. If Cardoso were to sit out four weeks rather than six, she could miss seven to nine games, returning during the Commissioner’s Cup in-season tournament in June.