What’s common between the 2x Olympic gold medal winner A’ja Wilson and the WNBA rookie Kamilla Cardoso? They both have been trained by Dawn Staley during their South Carolina Gamecocks time. Hence, when the Las Vegas Aces were at loggerheads with the Chicago Sky, Staley was in for a treat to watch her once NCAA stars compete against each other and see who wins the battle. In one such instance during the heated competition, Cardoso known for her tall frame blocked Wilson from making a layup and Staley couldn’t help but applaud Cardoso.

“Little sis @Kamillascsilva has arrived! You block it….I like it! Now keep shooting the rock please!!!,” Staley tweeted on X. The Sky was leading the game by a 14-8 margin on Sunday when Wilson was trying to make a much-needed layup. However, Cardoso who is known for her defensive took notice of it and blocked the 4-foot driving layup which prompted her former head coach to praise Cardoso during the first quarter.

While Wilson was the first-round pick in the WNBA 2018, Cardoso was drafted as the third overall pick by the Chicago Sky this season. Both of the stars are quite close to Staley. Wilson represented the Gamecocks from 2014-18 and helped the team win the NCAA title in 2017. Meanwhile, Cardoso changed her school from Syracuse to the Gamecocks in 2021 and stayed with Staley for the next three years, helping them bag the Championship title twice in 2022 and 2024. Looks like Staley has a preference for Cardoso due to this.

Meanwhile, Cardoso in the first quarter proved that her tackling Wilson was no fluke as she blocked the Aces star’s one-foot and two-foot two-point shots again. This might be Cardoso’s way of taking revenge against Wilson who had blocked the former during a game against the Sky in July. And Staley had even then come forward to Cardoso’s defense.

Kamilla Cardoso is Dawn Staley’s favorite

When the Chicago Sky was battling against the Las Vegas Aces, fans weren’t surprised when Wilson delivered a block against Cardoso. Their former coach Staley had then posted a video on the social media networking platform X revealing that she would fight against Wilson. “Don’t do that to Kamilla! Do not do that to Kamilla! I’m gonna fight. I’m gonna fight. I’m gonna fight. I’m gonna fight,” Staley was seen saying in the video.

The Aces won comfortably by a 95-83 margin and Wilson didn’t have much reaction to Staley’s remark other than having a good laugh as per her teammate Alysha Clark. But this time, it’s different.

Cardoso has blocked Wilson thrice till now in the game and it remains to be seen if Wilson will take her revenge against Cardoso during the matchup. However, one thing is sure Staley loves Cardoso like no one else.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.