{
  "$type": "site.standard.document",
  "bskyPostRef": {
    "cid": "bafyreig5xemonjjplwlczwsg4oiy36o7vj4zapkz3nq4azhoykfdn76xom",
    "uri": "at://did:plc:ha7wpngv4f2qwrk5hta4ktbb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkduj7oiqjy2"
  },
  "coverImage": {
    "$type": "blob",
    "ref": {
      "$link": "bafkreiee6meck4epljih5yo7j7ata7kynuvba6cocfsrxgjb6p7pxzinvm"
    },
    "mimeType": "image/jpeg",
    "size": 200812
  },
  "path": "/chicago-sky/2026/04/25/dawn-staley-talks-kamilla-cardoso-all-star-potential-giving-her-the-keys-to-the-car",
  "publishedAt": "2026-04-25T19:22:30.833Z",
  "site": "https://chicago.suntimes.com",
  "textContent": "<p>What coach Dawn Staley misses most about <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/chicago-sky\" target=\"_blank\" >Sky</a> center Kamilla Cardoso is her dominance.</p><p>Cardoso became a one-of-a-kind force her senior year at South Carolina, when she put the team on her back and decided they weren't going to lose. The Gamecocks didn’t, going undefeated en route to a national title.</p><p>Staley was looking for that kind of dominance from Cardoso from the moment she transferred from Syracuse as a sophomore. But it didn’t happen automatically.</p><p>“I think it took people moving out of the way,” Staley told the Sun-Times. “Like an Aliyah Boston graduating and then Kamilla being the focal point. Sometimes when you know there’s nobody there, it’s just you, you rise to the challenge.”</p><p> Cardoso’s college experience taught Staley that she is a “focal point” player. She excels under applied pressure. She can’t be allowed to just float. So when a coach decides it’s time to hand over the keys, they have to fully commit.</p><p>“If you’re gonna give her the keys to the car only on the weekends, I don’t think that’s Kamilla’s style,” Staley said. “I think it’s more — she wants to get in the car and drive it every day.”</p><p>Staley’s keys-to-the-car analogy is interesting in the context of Cardoso’s first seasons with the Sky.</p><p>How much driving time has been offered? How much has she accepted?</p><p>There’s no clear-cut answer, in part because the car keeps changing.</p><p>She has played for two different coaches, Teresa Weatherspoon and Tyler Marsh, with drastically different styles. She has played alongside a revolving door of alpha scorers — Marina Mabrey, Chennedy Carter and Angel Reese.</p><p>She has dominated in quarters, in halves, in stretches of the season, though not yet for an entire year the way she did for the Gamecocks.</p><p>“I think this year is probably going to be a great year for her,” Staley said. “Statistically speaking, as well as comfort. And the fact that Angel isn’t on the roster. I’m not saying that in a bad way. It just leaves more opportunity for Kamilla to spread her wings. She can be more of a focal point.”</p><p>Whether Cardoso spreads her wings, and whether Tyler Marsh helps her take flight, remains the season’s most compelling question. The second half of last season pointed upward: she averaged 14.8 points, 9.8 rebounds and three assists per game during that period.</p><p>She returned to training camp looking very much like <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/chicago-sky/2025/09/09/kamilla-cardoso-is-breaking-out-of-her-shell\" >she did at the end of last season</a>: vocal, engaged and physically prepared — if not totally ready to accept the role of franchise spokesperson.</p><p>Asked whether she now sees herself as the franchise cornerstone, she shifted the focus back to her teammates.</p><p>“I see myself as a great player that’s here to help my teammates with whatever they need,” Cardoso replied with a smile.</p><p>Some stars are comfortable broadcasting All-Star ambitions or MVP dreams. Cardoso, meanwhile, talks about her motivation in broader terms. She plays for her family, for her country, for the sisterhood that basketball creates.</p><p>To her, the upcoming season exists on a simple scale of “great” to “amazing.” What’s her impression of the Sky’s new-look roster? Great. How does she feel about the opportunity to play with elite point guard Skylar Diggins? Amazing.</p><p>If you’re looking for a more aggressive forecast on Cardoso, though, you can find it from her teammates. The Sun-Times has heard the same drumbeat from <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/chicago-sky/2025/07/27/fever-top-sky-93-78-cardoso-starts-strong-but-quiet-in-second-half\" >Boston</a>, Reese and now Diggins: They want her to take up more space. They want her to decide to be dominant.</p><p>She's been working on it steadily.</p><p>So is this the year it translates into an All-Star nod? For Staley, it all comes back to who’s behind the wheel.</p><p>“If she’s driving the car, she’s going to be on that All-Star [team],” Staley said.</p><p></p><p></p><bsp-list-loadmore class=\"PageListH\" data-module data-hide-authors=\"true\" data-hide-categories=\"true\" data-hide-dates=\"true\" data-show-loadmore=\"true\" ><a class=\"AnchorLink\" id=\"list-010001\" name=\"list-010001\"></a><div class=\"PageList-header\" > <div class=\"PageList-header-title-wrap\" > <div class=\"PageList-header-title\"> Latest on the Sky and WNBA </div> </div> </div> <div class=\"PageListH-items\" data-with-borders data-list-loadmore-items> <div class=\"PageListH-items-item\"><div class=\"PagePromoB\"> <div class=\"PagePromo-media\"><a class=\"Link\" aria-label=\"Angel Reese learns to thrive while ignoring negativity\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/wnba/2026/04/23/angel-reese-michelle-obama-podcast-dream-sky-wnba\" ><picture data-crop=\"medium-4x3\"> <source type=\"image/webp\" width=\"490\" height=\"328\" data-srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/db275b0/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5976x4000+24+0/resize/490x328!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Ff4%2Ff3%2Fa1f82730465ca716a46e2baa92cc%2Fap26107765000120.jpg\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" srcset=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIzMjhweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" /> <source width=\"490\" height=\"328\" data-srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/7405963/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5976x4000+24+0/resize/490x328!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Ff4%2Ff3%2Fa1f82730465ca716a46e2baa92cc%2Fap26107765000120.jpg\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" srcset=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIzMjhweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" /> <img class=\"Image\" alt=\"Angel Reese is introduced by the Atlanta Dream on Friday, April 17, 2026, in Atlanta. The Dream acquired Reese from the Sky for first-round draft picks in 2027 and 2028. \" width=\"490\" height=\"328\" data-src=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/7405963/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5976x4000+24+0/resize/490x328!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Ff4%2Ff3%2Fa1f82730465ca716a46e2baa92cc%2Fap26107765000120.jpg\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" src=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIzMjhweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" > </picture> </a></div> <div class=\"PagePromoB-content\"> <div class=\"PagePromo-category\"> <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/wnba\" >WNBA</a> </div> <div class=\"PagePromo-title\"> <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/wnba/2026/04/23/angel-reese-michelle-obama-podcast-dream-sky-wnba\" >Angel Reese learns to thrive while ignoring negativity</a> </div> <div class=\"PagePromo-description\">The Dream forward says that the negativity she experienced in her first two years in the WNBA wasn’t normal or acceptable. Still, she understands it’s her “new reality.”</div> <div class=\"PagePromo-byline\"><div class=\"PagePromo-date\"> <bsp-timestamp data-timestamp=1776986350000 data-promo=\"true\"> <template data-date-tpl>[month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]</template> <span data-date> </span> </bsp-timestamp><span class=\"dot\"></span></div> <div class=\"PagePromo-author\"> <span>By </span><strong><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/authors/usa-today\" >USA TODAY </a></strong> </div> <div class=\"PagePromo-readingTime\"> <span class=\"dot-divider\"></span> <svg class=\"PagePromo-readingTime-icon\"> <use xlink:href=\"#icon-clock-reading\"></use> </svg> <span class=\"PagePromo-readingTime-text\"> <bsp-time-to-read data-article-word-count=\"409\"></bsp-time-to-read> read </span> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class=\"PageListH-items-item\"><div class=\"PagePromoB\"> <div class=\"PagePromo-media\"><a class=\"Link\" aria-label=\"Will this time be different? Sky push for fresh start\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/chicago-sky/2026/04/22/will-this-time-be-different-sky-push-for-a-fresh-start\" ><picture data-crop=\"medium-4x3\"> <source type=\"image/webp\" width=\"490\" height=\"328\" data-srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/af1383d/2147483647/strip/true/crop/7331x4907+29+0/resize/490x328!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fa5%2F05%2Fc1989c954e9a9316f96449f3c789%2Fcardoso-reese.jpg\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" srcset=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIzMjhweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" /> <source width=\"490\" height=\"328\" data-srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/0158fc7/2147483647/strip/true/crop/7331x4907+29+0/resize/490x328!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fa5%2F05%2Fc1989c954e9a9316f96449f3c789%2Fcardoso-reese.jpg\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" srcset=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIzMjhweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" /> <img class=\"Image\" alt=\"Minnesota Lynx v Chicago Sky\" width=\"490\" height=\"328\" data-src=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/0158fc7/2147483647/strip/true/crop/7331x4907+29+0/resize/490x328!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fa5%2F05%2Fc1989c954e9a9316f96449f3c789%2Fcardoso-reese.jpg\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" src=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIzMjhweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" > </picture> </a></div> <div class=\"PagePromoB-content\"> <div class=\"PagePromo-category\"> <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/chicago-sky\" >Sky</a> </div> <div class=\"PagePromo-title\"> <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/chicago-sky/2026/04/22/will-this-time-be-different-sky-push-for-a-fresh-start\" >Will this time be different? Sky push for fresh start</a> </div> <div class=\"PagePromo-description\">General manager Jeff Pagliocca sees real potential in this moment. Should fans buy in?</div> <div class=\"PagePromo-byline\"><div class=\"PagePromo-date\"> <bsp-timestamp data-timestamp=1776906552000 data-promo=\"true\"> <template data-date-tpl>[month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]</template> <span data-date> </span> </bsp-timestamp><span class=\"dot\"></span></div> <div class=\"PagePromo-author\"> <span>By </span><strong><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/alissa-hirsh\" >Alissa Hirsh </a></strong> </div> <div class=\"PagePromo-readingTime\"> <span class=\"dot-divider\"></span> <svg class=\"PagePromo-readingTime-icon\"> <use xlink:href=\"#icon-clock-reading\"></use> </svg> <span class=\"PagePromo-readingTime-text\"> <bsp-time-to-read data-article-word-count=\"607\"></bsp-time-to-read> read </span> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class=\"PageListH-items-item\"><div class=\"PagePromoB\"> <div class=\"PagePromo-media\"><a class=\"Link\" aria-label=\"WNBA has record 216-game TV and streaming schedule across several outlets\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports-media/2026/04/22/wnba-has-record-216-game-tv-and-streaming-schedule-across-several-outlets\" ><picture data-crop=\"medium-4x3\"> <source type=\"image/webp\" width=\"490\" height=\"328\" data-srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/7d93e56/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2723x1823+11+0/resize/490x328!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Ff3%2F25%2Fbcf5b84741f882d670e186dc411d%2Fap26086802770905.jpg\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" srcset=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIzMjhweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" /> <source width=\"490\" height=\"328\" data-srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/eb41644/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2723x1823+11+0/resize/490x328!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Ff3%2F25%2Fbcf5b84741f882d670e186dc411d%2Fap26086802770905.jpg\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" srcset=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIzMjhweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" /> <img class=\"Image\" alt=\"The WNBA logo is seen near a hoop before a game at Mohegan Sun Arena on May 14, 2019, in Uncasville, Connecticut. \" width=\"490\" height=\"328\" data-src=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/eb41644/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2723x1823+11+0/resize/490x328!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Ff3%2F25%2Fbcf5b84741f882d670e186dc411d%2Fap26086802770905.jpg\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" src=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIzMjhweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" > </picture> </a></div> <div class=\"PagePromoB-content\"> <div class=\"PagePromo-category\"> <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports-media\" >Sports Media</a> </div> <div class=\"PagePromo-title\"> <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports-media/2026/04/22/wnba-has-record-216-game-tv-and-streaming-schedule-across-several-outlets\" >WNBA has record 216-game TV and streaming schedule across several outlets</a> </div> <div class=\"PagePromo-description\">The league, in its 30th season, will have games on ABC/ESPN, CBS, Amazon Prime Video, ION, NBC, USA Sports and NBA TV.</div> <div class=\"PagePromo-byline\"><div class=\"PagePromo-date\"> <bsp-timestamp data-timestamp=1776886724000 data-promo=\"true\"> <template data-date-tpl>[month] [day], [year], [hour]:[minute][ampm] [timezone]</template> <span data-date> </span> </bsp-timestamp><span class=\"dot\"></span></div> <div class=\"PagePromo-author\"> <span>By </span><strong><a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/authors/associated-press\" >AP </a></strong> </div> <div class=\"PagePromo-readingTime\"> <span class=\"dot-divider\"></span> <svg class=\"PagePromo-readingTime-icon\"> <use xlink:href=\"#icon-clock-reading\"></use> </svg> <span class=\"PagePromo-readingTime-text\"> <bsp-time-to-read data-article-word-count=\"295\"></bsp-time-to-read> read </span> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class=\"PageList-footer\"> </div> </bsp-list-loadmore><p></p>",
  "title": "Dawn Staley sees Kamilla Cardoso All-Star potential for the Sky",
  "updatedAt": "2026-04-25T19:56:42.860Z"
}