The Chicago Sky had a rough start to the season. They achieved their first win after four straight losses, and their four total victories so far have only come against fellow bottom-dwellers—Dallas, Connecticut, and the Los Angeles Sparks. After losing Courtney Vandersloot, they somehow patched things together with a mix of Hailey Van Lith and 2x All-Star Ariel Atkins. But if there was one true constant through Angel Reese’s cold shooting nights, it wasn’t 2x All-Star star Atkins. It wasn’t even Reese. It was Kamilla Cardoso. And now, she’s leaving Chicago.

Cardoso set social media buzzing this week after posting a series of Instagram stories wearing the Brazilian women’s national team jersey, posing confidently ahead of the 2025 FIBA AmeriCup. The post wasn’t subtle—she’s stepping away from the Sky to join Brazil after securing the season’s 4th victory for the Sky, joining a growing list of WNBA players temporarily departing to fulfill international duties.

She’s not alone. Nine players have exited the league schedule in June for EuroBasket and AmeriCup commitments. Among them: Leonie Fiebich and Nyara Sabally (Liberty, Germany), Jessica Shepard (Lynx, Slovenia), Julie Allemand (Sparks, Belgium), Julie Vanloo, Janelle Salaün, Cecilia Zandalasini, and Temi Fágbénlé (all Valkyries), and Teaira McCowan and Luisa Geiselsöder (Wings).

The Golden State Valkyries have been hit hardest, losing four major contributors. But for the Sky, Cardoso’s exit stings deeply, especially as she was the defensive anchor holding things together when the offense faltered.

In fact, this season Kamilla Cardoso is scoring 12.7 points per game, grabbing 6.6 boards, and making 1.7 assists. The Sky will need to find a way to fill this contribution, which disappears the moment she boards that flight to Brazil.

How Vital Is Kamilla Cardoso to Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky?

To put it into perspective, just how important Kamilla Cardoso is to the Sky, her value was on full display during the team’s Pride Night win over the Sparks. She exploded for a career-high 27 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and even drilled a smooth three-pointer, powering Chicago to a 97–86 victory.

The rookie phenom ranks second on the team in both scoring (12.7 PPG) and rebounding (6.6 RPG).

To really grasp the difference she makes, Angel Reese averages 11.3 points per game on 38.5% shooting (3.7 makes on 9.6 attempts). Cardoso, meanwhile, scores 12.7 while taking fewer shots—just 5.3 makes on 9.4 attempts—and does it with elite efficiency, hitting 56.1% from the field. That’s the gap.

Even their connection shows her impact—Reese has made 7 buckets off Cardoso assists this season, second only to Angel Reese’s 9 assisted field goals from Atkins.

Cardoso’s value hasn’t gone unnoticed by head coach Tyler Marsh either. After her 17-point burst in just 15 minutes during a 107–86 loss to Phoenix, Marsh said, “I think she asserted herself early today. She did a good job of being aggressive once the ball was into her and attacking before they could bring double teams and whatnot.”

And thats not all, according to a statistic shared by I Talk Hoops on X, when Cardoso takes 10 or more shots? Her averages shoot up to 21.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.0 block per game—with outings like 16–9–4–1, 23–8–1–1, 18–10–1–1, and 27–7–3–2.

To top it all off, she even sank her first WNBA three-pointer before heading off to represent Brazil. So yeah, it’s hard to see how the Sky plan to win more games with Cardoso out of the lineup.