Is Kamilla Cardoso held hostage in China? Debunking rumors about Chicago Sky star

A since-deleted post on X (formerly Twitter) claimed that Kamilla Cardoso was disallowed from leaving China after she failed to pay a fine. Per the post, the Chicago Sky star had felt unwell and wanted to return home.

Kamilla Cardoso plays with the Shanghai Swordfish in the Chinese professional women's basketball league. On Tuesday, the WNBA star, who joined the Swordfish in November 2024, addressed the rumor through her Instagram Live.

Cardoso released the original video and played it on her IG Livestream to address the rumor that had caused an uproar among Sky fans. In the video, she is heard saying she is ready to leave, followed by a big hoorah.

"They asked me how I was doing and I told them I was ready to leave [excited and happy] and then this girl went on Twitter and made the longest paragraph," Cardoso clarified.

When a fan inquired about her 2-point scoring comment, Kamilla Cardoso said that while she did say that, she never mentioned being held hostage.

"Yeah I said I was gonna score two points but I didn't say anything about being kept hostage," the Sky star said.

The previous [fake] news of Cardoso being held hostage in the country stunned fans on social media, resulting in some asking the Chicago team to pay the fine and bring back the star. Some even wrote that 'China was an authoritarian country.'

The Sky star warned the fans to delete the posts on their account because the team could sue them for defamation.

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WNBA fans react after Kamilla Cardoso addresses the viral rumor

Sighs of relief weren't the only prevailing feelings among WNBA fans after Kamilla Cardoso addressed the rumor of her being held hostage in China. Once the fog was clear, the fans on X (formerly known as Twitter) blasted the user for spreading lies.

A fan was left in disbelief that someone would intentionally spread a lie.

"was it fake news?? there’s literally no way… why someone would intentionally spread this as factual? nasty work nah, that’s messed up. i was really worried about her," the fan wrote.

"This was made up? I’m telling you WNBA twitter is weird yall a** have mental illness problems," wrote the fan.

While it isn't clear if the user who spread the rumor is a Chicago Sky fan, WNBA fans vented their frustrations at the Sky fanbase. One even called them the "dumbest fanbase in sports."

"I always stand on that the SKY fan base is the dumbest fan base in sports. And not even really fans of ball," the fan wrote.

"Kamilla says she's perfectly fine. She misses BRAZIL!!!!! 🤣 Sky fans really had me worried. She's fine," another fan wrote.

A fan called Sky fans "weird," claiming that Chicago's fanbase loves gossip and creates problems for its players.

"They deleted that sh but this is who started that Kamilla Cardoso rumor. What is up with you weird sky fans creating problems for your players ur fans of all the time because you love to gossip," another fan wrote.

Meanwhile, another fan was hilariously impressed with the imagination of the user to create a rumor of such gravity.

"I've gotta say, I'm impressed by their imaginations though," the fan wrote.

In her rookie season, Kamilla Cardoso played 32 games, averaging just over 27 minutes. She averaged 9.8 points on 52.1 percent shooting from the field while registering 7.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game.