CHICAGO — In the second quarter of the Storm’s 94-88 win over the Sky on Tuesday night, Seattle rookie Dominique Malonga had two blocks in the span of a few minutes. The first was against Elizabeth Williams, the second against 6-foot-7 center Kamilla Cardoso. The 6-6 Malonga finished the game with three blocks and looked sheepish after each one, as if she was still getting comfortable with her abilities. At just 19, she's not a showboater, but what she can do on the court is impossible to miss.
“The thing about it is she's literally just scratching the surface. And I tell her all the time, she's going to be a star for the next 20 years in this league, and she doesn't have a ceiling,” Storm veteran Skylar Diggins said. “I love her approach, her attitude, her stick-to-it-iveness this year, and she's playing behind two All-Stars, you know. And then she's an All-Star in her own right and in her role for us. And so we need what she brings to the table for us.”
Malonga was the second overall pick in this year’s WNBA Draft, behind Paige Bueckers and ahead of Mystics Rookie of the Year candidates Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron. Seattle traded away six-time All-Star Jewell Loyd as part of a multi-team trade last offseason to get that second pick.
Malonga has played in the EuroLeague and for her native France in the Olympics, winning a silver medal against Team USA in 2024. Former NBA star Tony Parker, the president of Malonga's French club ASVEL Feminin, said she was the female Victor Wembanyama and has the kind of potential few teams would pass on.
Malonga isn't having a breakout season like Citron or Iriafen in Washington, or Bueckers in Dallas, all of whom were named All-Stars this year. Malonga has had impressive games, but she has only come off the bench for Seattle. The Storm also boast Ezi Magbegor, second in the league in blocks per game (4.0), so they have the luxury of bringing Malonga along more slowly than other rookies.
“I don't feel like I'm in a rush to do something," Malonga told Yahoo Sports. "And I think that I kind of show that when I'm on the court, I don't really think and no matter if I score five or 20, it’s just about what energy I can bring on the court. That's what my team expects from me for now. It’s just about energy, about defending, about bringing, bringing the sauce, as we say here."
Malonga’s averaging 12.5 minutes, 4.4 rebounds and 6.8 points for the season, but she’s had standout games. In a win over Chicago in July, she got her first double-double with 10 rebounds and 14 points. Since then, Malonga has had two more double-doubles since, and has scored in double-digits in six of her last eight games. Along with Erica Wheeler, Malonga was first off the bench on Tuesday night, and she finished with 15 points and seven rebounds.
“She's been very consistent in her work, her learning curve, the culture fit, learning from the vets that we have, and really taking complete accountability for her process, and understanding what the process looks like and feels like,” Seattle coach Noelle Quinn said. “She has an amazing future. She works extremely hard, but she's also very humble in her approach.”
The Storm are in a fight to make the playoffs — at 18-18, they sit in the eighth and final playoff spot. At 3-7 in their last 10 games, Seattle has been in a free fall, and they need every one of their players to contribute to ensure they don't miss the playoffs for the second time in the last three seasons.
Malonga finding her way in the WNBA is not just about basketball, but about becoming more comfortable living in the U.S. Gabby Williams, an All-Star this year for Seattle, played with Malonga on ASVEL Feminin and on the French national team. Williams grew up in the U.S. but has a French mother and speaks the language fluently. Her presence in the locker room helped ease Malonga’s transition to the WNBA.
“First of all, it's a friendly face, and it's always easier to have somebody that you know in the new place. So of course, I was happy [she was here], and it’s somebody that I just love,” Malonga said. “Since I met her in ASVEL and on the national team, she has always been helpful. She's this kind of big sister that you just can go anytime and ask her advice, or she would just be here and cheer for you.”
Williams, in her seventh WNBA season, knew Malonga would find her way in the league.
“I knew that she was going to be great," Williams said. "I knew she has a lot of natural talent, but what has most impressed me has just been her professionalism and her ability to thrive in this environment,” Williams said.
Since Malonga and Williams both speak French, they can talk without most of their opponents or officials knowing what they are saying.
“When it's with Gabby, and we just speak French naturally, and it's easier, and so we can just switch in French and quickly fix up things,” Malonga said. “So yeah, it's cool. And yeah, sometimes we're mad and want to kind of talk s***, we can. So it's kind of funny.”
Because of her height and athleticism, Malonga is able to dunk, though she’s yet to do it in a game. During Tuesday’s shootaround, she threw down three dunks at Wintrust Arena. She knows she will dunk in a game one day, but like everything in her career, she doesn’t want to force it.
“I don't think it's a need, but it's more about, since it's something that I'm capable of and I can just do, there is no reason why, if I have the opportunity, I would not just try it,” Malonga said. “But it's not something that I put pressure on myself to say that I need to do it soon ... It's a plus for me, because at the end of the day, it's just two points, and it's more about a show.”
Her teammates certainly want to see her dunk. During Tuesday's game, on fast-break opportunities, Wheeler would leap up from the bench, hoping to see one. Quinn said Malonga has the green light to dunk when it feels right.
“We see it every day. It's not something that you don't see or she doesn't practice,” Quinn said. “So if that didn't happen every day, I would say, ‘Please don't,’ but it's like, yes. She can do it. It's just her comfort level with it.”
At just 19 years old, Malonga has plenty of time to develop that comfort level and become the force the Storm envisioned when they drafted her. Until then, her recent play bodes well for Seattle's playoff push.
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