The Chicago Sky ushered in a new era for the franchise Monday, selecting a pair of national champion frontcourt stars in the first seven picks of the WNBA draft.
The Sky took South Carolina center Kamilla Cardoso with the No. 3 pick and added LSU forward Angel Reese at No. 7. The 6-foot-7 Cardoso is fresh off a star-making performance in the NCAA Tournament for the champion Gamecocks, while Reese — one of the most popular players in women’s basketball — led the Tigers to the national title in 2023.
“This is a huge night for us for a lot of reasons,” first-year Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca said. “We were very fortunate with who our targets were and the fact we were able to get exactly what we wanted out of this draft. We are ecstatic.”
First-year coach Teresa Weatherspoon reiterated that the order of selection “fell into place just the way we planned it.”
“There’s a lot of work that was put in behind this, sleepless nights of constantly calling and speaking and strategizing,” Weatherspoon said. “This is a chess match and we actually got every player that we had designed to get.
“This is an exciting moment for us, exciting moment for the city and an exciting moment for the Chicago Sky organization.”
After the Indiana Fever selected Iowa star Caitlin Clark, as expected, with the No. 1 pick in a highly touted draft class, the Los Angeles Sparks took Stanford’s Cameron Brink at No. 2. That left the Sky to choose between Cardoso and Tennessee’s Rickea Jackson, who wound up going to the Sparks at No. 4.
Few players bring a dominant presence in the paint like Cardoso. The Brazilian native averaged 14.4 points and 9.7 rebounds in her first season as the Gamecocks’ primary option after Aliyah Boston departed for the WNBA a year ago.
Photos: 2024 WNBA draft Chicago Sky watch party
Earlier this year, the selection of Cardoso at No. 3 might have seemed like a slight reach for the Sky, who will need to develop her offensively to build her into a more versatile player. But after she averaged 16.6 points, 10.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in five NCAA Tournament games, it’s clear Cardoso can make an immediate defensive impact at the highest level.
Asked what she’s looking forward to the most about competing in the WNBA, Cardoso said: “Just getting better, being more physical, more competition. And I’m just excited to get out there and play with some of the big names of women’s basketball.”
The 6-3 Reese is a proven presence on the boards, averaging 18.6 points and 13.4 rebounds in her senior season with the Tigers. She will have work to do for her success to translate to the WNBA — especially on the offensive end, where she needs to expand her shooting range — but her rebounding ability should carry over quickly.
“She’s a great player and I’m a great player,” Cardoso told reporters in New York about Reese. “Nobody’s going to get no rebounds on us.”
A strong partnership with Weatherspoon could be a key to unlocking the potential of Reese and Cardoso.
“It means the most to me,” Cardoso said of being coached by Weatherspoon after playing for Dawn Staley in college. “It just tells me that I’m going to be in good hands and I’m just excited to get back and work with her.”
Reese also mentioned “great” conversations with Weatherspoon.
“As you know, she was coached by (LSU) coach (Kim) Mulkey, so I kind of thought maybe I’ll go there and knowing the conversations were so good,” Reese said. “Jeff the GM was amazing too. And player development is something that I was looking for and they look for in me. I’m super excited for this move and looking forward to getting to Chicago.”
The Sky acquired the No. 3 pick from the Phoenix Mercury in February in a blockbuster trade for three-time All-Star Kahleah Copper. The trade signaled a shift in the Sky’s approach to building a roster under a new front office and coaching staff helmed by Pagliocca and Weatherspoon.
The Sky since parted with other roster mainstays such as Rebekah Gardner, leaving only five returning players from the 2023 season. And with only one player — guard Dana Evans — left from the franchise-record-setting 2022 season, the Sky are undergoing a rebuild after recouping necessary draft stock lost in recent seasons.
The Sky traded up from No. 8 to No. 7 with the Minnesota Lynx on Sunday, also acquiring forward Nikolina Milić while sending forward Sika Koné, their 2025 second-round pick and the right to swap 2026 first-round picks to Minnesota. They initially acquired the No. 8 pick in February from the Sparks in exchange for Julie Allemand, the rights to Li Yueru and a third-round pick in 2025.
The Sky also picked Gonzaga guard Brynna Maxwell at No. 13, the first selection in the second round. The 3-point specialist averaged 13.8 points and shot 45.9% behind the arc over two seasons for the Bulldogs after playing her first three seasons at Utah.
The Sky’s 2024 season begins May 4 at Minnesota, with the home opener scheduled for May 7 against the New York Liberty.
Associated Press contributed.
