South Carolina's Kamilla Cardoso has emotional reunion with her family thanks to Dawn Staley's classy gesture

Kamilla Cardoso has blossomed into one of the best players in women’s college basketball this season and a legit WNBA prospect.

The 6-foot-7 Brazilian took over for Aliyah Boston as the starting center for the South Carolina Gamecocks this year and has helped lead them to an undefeated season so far, which will likely net Dawn Staley’s team the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament this month. Cardoso averages 14 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game, and is fourth nationally in defensive rating according to HerHoopStats.

But Cardoso’s journey to basketball stardom hasn’t been easy. When she was in middle school, she left her native country of Brazil — and her family — to enroll in a prep school in Chattanooga, where she could hone her skills on the court and be seen by college scouts. She fought homesickness and a language barrier, but landed a scholarship to Syracuse where she was named ACC Freshman of the Year after averaging 13.1 points and 8.1 rebounds per game in the 2020-21 season. Cardoso then transferred to South Carolina, where she played a key role as a reserve on the Gamecocks’ national title team in 2022.

Sunday will be senior day for Cardoso as it’s South Carolina’s final home game of the regular season. Typically for these sorts of games, seniors are honored before the contest and escorted by family members.

Staley made sure – apparently with the help of South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn – that Cardoso would be able to walk on Sunday alongside her mom and her sister.

The Gamecocks filmed Cardoso’s emotional reunion with her family and posted it to social media on Saturday. Grab your tissues.

Family over everything @kamillascsilva pic.twitter.com/Qh1opAgli0

— South Carolina Women's Basketball (@GamecockWBB) March 2, 2024