Kamilla Cardoso Records Historic Night in Rout of Fire

Madisen Krapf

Kamilla Cardoso made a statement to the WNBA during Friday’s blowout victory over the Portland Fire: she’s one of the league’s great players.

Cardoso notched a record-breaking and jaw-dropping performance on Friday, snapping a decade-old feat formerly held by Nneka Ogwumike. She set the league’s all-time record for most made field goals without a miss, going a perfect 13 for 13 from the field. 

“Her level of attention to detail lately, her trust in her teammates, her trust in herself, it has been evident in the last four games” head Coach Tyler Marsh said on Friday night. “I think she’s played incredibly hard on both ends. I think she’s been committed to defense as much as she has to the offensive end. She hasn’t let woes on one side [of the court] affect her on the other.”

She finished the night with a career-best 30 points and became the first-ever center to score that many points while shooting 100% from the field.

It’s clear that Cardoso is continuing to break through; she scored one shy of her career high on June 20 in a hotly contested matchup against Dallas. She’s among the league’s leaders in blocks and rebounds and is vying for her first-ever All-Star appearance.

Games like Friday’s should be ample enough of a case for her All-Star eligibility.

In her third season in the league, Cardoso is displaying a passion for playing alongside her team, thriving off their energy and building her voice on and off the court. When she gets it going, Cardoso is unstoppable.

While the Sky have faced adversity in the face of injuries in the past two seasons, Cardoso has been a steady presence. She’s the longest-tenured player in Marsh’s scheme alongside veteran Elizabeth Williams, giving her a unique perspective on the team. That familiarity with the system builds an additional level of confidence in her game, one that is clearly emerging.

In her last four games, Cardoso is averaging 21.3 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks while shooting an absurd 77.8% from the field.

“The coaches have emphasized me rolling fast and holding my seal,” Cardoso said of what’s been working over these past few matchups. “It’s working really well.”

It got even better for Cardoso on Friday, when Hall-of-Fame point guard Courtney Vandersloot made her return from injury. That game showcased to fans what a pairing of the two can look like this season. The fact that both players had record-breaking performances is no coincidence.

“She has been playing awesome and has the capability to [replicate this game],” Vandersloot said. “We’re gonna ride this wave and keep expecting this from her.”