The two rookies are teammates after being college adversaries

They may be teammates now, but Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese were fierce rivals and adversaries in the NCAA just a few months ago. Cardoso‘s South Carolina Gamecocks and Reese‘s LSU Tigers became embroiled in a brawl during the SEC Championship Game in March, and few could have predicted that the Chicago Sky would select both players at the 2024 WNBA Draft the following month.

Reese has stood out for her rebounding early in her WNBA career, but Cardoso is just coming to grips with pro basketball after a shoulder injury kept her sidelined into June. The two post players are sharing the court now though, and many have wondered what the vibe is like behind the scenes between these two former rivals.

Cardoso enjoying the chemistry with Reese

Cardoso and Reese both enjoyed productive games against the Atlanta Dream on Saturday, even though the Sky came up short in an 89-80 defeat at Wintrust Arena. But Cardoso, the third overall pick in April’s draft, is getting a lot out of her partnership with seventh overall pick Reese — even though it’s only four games old.

“I feel like we both play real good defense,” Cardoso said after the game. “We just try to stay connected. Just stay connected and play our role.”

Cardoso debuted on June 1 and has averaged 6.8 points across four games, making her first start against Atlanta on Saturday. She scored a career-high 13 points against the Dream defense, displaying a range of post moves and a touch around the rim that can make her hard to stop.

Meanwhile, Reese registered a triple-double, with 13 points and 13 rebounds — in addition to five steals. Reese still has work to do to become a reliable scorer, but her defensive impact and ability to protect the rim already grades out as elite — meaning this pairing could produce championship-level success in the years to come for Chicago.