Fact Check: Is Kamilla Cardoso Being Held Hostage in China? Debunking Rumors Around Chicago Sky Star’s Overseas Status
While Unrivaled arrived and solved the overseas travel dilemma for many WNBA players, some still chose to play abroad. One of them? Kamilla Cardoso. Since she arrived in China, the only news we’ve been hearing is about her monster stat lines for the Shanghai Baoshan Dahua Swordfish. But recently, a shocking rumor took over the internet.
It claimed she was being “held hostage” by her team. Fans even started threads like “Free Kamilla Cardoso,” with some pointing to her underwhelming 2-point, 6-rebound performance as proof that she wanted out.
While most of the posts are deleted now, a viral Tweet read, “Allegedly, Shanghai Baoshan Dahua Swordfish denied Kamilla’s request to return home despite health issues, stating she could only leave if she paid a hefty fine.”
Well, turns out, IT’S FAKE. Cardoso herself hopped on a live stream to shut it all down. “I didn’t say anything about being held hostage,” she stated, clearly baffled by the rumors. She even called out those fueling the false claims, warning, “You all better go on Twitter and delete everything because they might sue you for defamation.”
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And as for the idea that she’d ditch before playoffs? She laughed it off, saying, “Why would I leave before playoffs? I did all this work to leave before playoffs?” Safe to say, she’s locked in.
And honestly, she should be. The Brazilian big has been nothing short of dominant in her debut season overseas. Cardoso is averaging an insane 21.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 64.5% from the field. She’s already had jaw-dropping performances, like a 37-point, 15-rebound, 8-assist game and a massive 40-point, 17-rebound showing.
Her play even earned her the Hoops Agents Player of the Week award for Round 27. That doesn’t exactly scream “hostage,” does it?
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Now, with Cardoso leading the charge, the Swordfish currently hold the fourth spot in their WCBA group. They’d likely be even higher if not for a few early-season losses. And the Chicago Sky star isn’t just thriving—she’s the top player on her team and one of the league’s best in both points and rebounds (6th-best at 10.5 RPG).
Even Sky’s new head coach, Tyler Marsh, has been keeping tabs, already envisioning how her dominance will translate to her second WNBA season. And if there was/ is any friction between her and Shanghai, her own coach sure isn’t showing it.
Kamilla Cardoso’s overseas coach can’t stop raving about her.
