Chicago Sky rookies Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso get some extra education in 1st matchup against A’ja Wilson
Chicago Sky rookies Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso get some extra education in 1st matchup against A’ja Wilson
It’s not always easy to meet your hero.
Chicago Sky rookies Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese learned that lesson the hard way Thursday when they faced off against their idol, A’ja Wilson, for the first time in a 95-83 loss to the reigning champion Las Vegas Aces at Wintrust Arena.
Wilson, 27, is less than five years older than Cardoso and less than six years older than Reese, but her impact as a college star at South Carolina and a two-time WNBA MVP has made her a paragon of exceptionalism for the current rookie class.
One of the first WNBA games Reese attended as a fan was an Aces game in Las Vegas during Wilson’s rookie year in 2018.
“She didn’t know who I was obviously,” Reese joked in a pregame on-air interview.
In the six years since, Reese has modeled pieces of her playing style after Wilson. And Cardoso looked up to the former Gamecocks star as she came up through the South Carolina program under coach Dawn Staley.
Still, all that admiration from afar couldn’t prepare either rookie for meeting Wilson for the first time in the paint.
From the opening whistle, it was clear the rookies would have their hands full with Wilson. Reese picked up three fouls in the first half; Cardoso didn’t score until the third quarter.
Wilson twisted up both bigs in the post, making Cardoso sit back on her heels and laugh in frustration after artfully dancing around her in the low block to score in the second half. The veteran finished with 31 points, six rebounds, two blocks and two steals, a performance that seemed almost pedestrian as she continues to steamroll to the front of the MVP race.
The learning experience wasn’t fruitless for either rookie. Cardoso found comfort in second-chance scoring in the second half, also picking up a block and a pair of offensive rebounds. And Reese notched 18 points and 11 rebounds, securing her ninth consecutive double-double to tie Candace Parker for the longest streak in a single season.
Wilson praised Reese after the game for her relentless motor as the pair jockey for the league lead in rebounding.
“The biggest thing that I see from Angel is just her speed and her want to get the basketball,” Wilson said. “I feel like you don’t see that from a lot of players all the time, that second and third effort to go get the basketball. And she has that in her.”
But both bigs have plenty of improvement to make before their next meeting with Wilson and the Aces on July 16 in Las Vegas.
News
At my wedding, my grandfather handed me an old passbook. My father quickly took it and said, “That bank shut down in the ’80s—he’s just confused.”
Part 2 “Mr. Mercer?” he said again, his voice carrying the weight of bad news and good news tangled together so tightly they were impossible to separate. The second executive,…
Part 2 + 3: I kept $20M in my mom’s safe. Next morning she was gone with it—and I laughed because of what was inside
Part 2 Because the black bag they raced out of that house with only had… Twenty million dollars in perfectly printed counterfeit bills. I had swapped the real purchase packet…
Part 2 + 3: My daughter married a Korean man when she was 21. She hasn’t been home for twelve years, but every year, she sends $100,000.
Part 2 And then, someone called out in a voice I would know anywhere. “Mom…?” The single word hit me like a physical blow. My heart slammed against my ribs…
My sister switched my baby powder with flour as a joke during a family visit. Thirty seconds after I used it, my six-month-old baby stopped breathing. I rushed her to the hospital…
Part 2 “It looks like someone deliberately exposed her,” Dr. Morrison finished. The words landed like broken glass in an open wound. I stared at her, the hospital blanket twisting…
Part 2: I am 65 years old. I got divorced 5 years ago. My ex-husband left me a bank card with 3,000 dollars. I never touched it. Five years later, when I went to withdraw that money…
Part 2 The manager’s heels clicked across the polished tile like a countdown. She was in her early sixties, silver hair pulled into a neat bun, navy suit tailored sharp…
Part 2: At my wedding, my grandfather handed me an old passbook. My father quickly took it and said, “That bank shut down in the ’80s—he’s just confused.”
Mr. Mercer?” the second executive repeated, his voice low and measured, like a man delivering news that could tilt the rest of a life. His name tag read Richard Harlan,…
End of content
No more pages to load
