How Angel Reese, Kamilla Cardoso Fared in WNBA Preseason Debut With Sky

How Angel Reese, Kamilla Cardoso Fared in WNBA Preseason Debut With Sky

Former collegiate basketball stars Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso made their long-awaited WNBA preseason debuts Friday night during the Chicago Sky's exhibition against the Minnesota Lynx at Target Center.

Reese, who became a household name while leading LSU to a national championship in 2023, joined the Sky's starting five on Friday alongside Elizabeth Williams, Diamond DeShields, Marina Mabrey and Dana Evans. Cardoso, the reigning national champion out of South Carolina, came off the Sky's bench.

In 24 minutes, Reese scored 13 points on 2-of-7 shooting and tallied nine rebounds, two steals and one block.

Cardoso's night ended early, however, after she went down hard on her right shoulder in the first half. She didn't play at all in the second half, registering just six points on 3-of-5 shooting, four rebounds and two blocks in 13 minutes.

The Lynx edged the Sky, 92–87, behind 17 points from guard Courtney Williams.

The two rookie phenoms connected on a bucket in the second quarter when Reese dished Cardoso a pass in the paint, and the former Gamecocks star rolled it in for two points.

The Sky selected both players in the first round of the 2024 WNBA draft last month. Cardoso was the No. 3 pick after the Indiana Fever selected Caitlin Clark with the top pick and Cameron Brink went to the Los Angeles Sparks at No. 2. Chicago selected Reese at No. 7, a pick the Sky acquired in a trade with the Lynx in April.

Chicago will wrap up the preseason Tuesday against the New York Liberty before officially beginning the 2024 regular season May 15.

Caitlin Clark's First Professional Trading Card Sells For $10,000

Caitlin Clark’s First Professional Trading Card Sells For $10,000

Caitlin Clark is now taking over the sports memorabilia industry. After dominating college basketball for the last couple years she was taken first overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft. Now her first professional card, which is part of Panini's 2024 Instant WNBA Draft Night series, sold for $10,000 according to Darren Rovell's cllct.

"The Clark Blue Viper 1/1 Auto ranks as the sixth-most expensive recorded sale of a card for the Iowa superstar. It was sold in a Dutch Auction format, with the price dropping every five minutes until the product sells out. Because of heavy interest in Clark collectibles, no drop was needed to find a buyer.

In addition to the 1/1 $10,000 card, Panini also sold other variations of Clark cards, ranging from a base card, which was priced at $9.99, to a non-autographed variant of the Blue Viper 1/1 card, which sold within minutes for $3,000."

This is just the latest indication of Clark's lasting impression on women's basketball in the sports landscape. The ratings for the women's NCAA tournament were borderline unbelievable. Then 2.45 million people tuned in to the WNBA draft to see Clark get drafted. But people shelling out serious money for trading cards is an investment. According to cllct Angel Reese and Cameron Brink also had cards go for four figures.

With Indiana Fever tickets selling fast and for record prices, it's not a question of if the WNBA will see a ratings bump, but exactly how big will it be?