Missing Dominique Malonga is impossible at 6-foot-6. She literally stood out among the crowd even when she tried to keep it simple with a classic black and white Louis Vuitton blazer and pants at the WNBA draft.
Especially when WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert called her name Monday night as the No. 2 overall pick by the Seattle Storm.
Now the 19-year-old basketball phenom has the chance to show the WNBA exactly what she can do on a basketball court and represent her country at the same time.
“I am so proud to achieve that goal because it just shows that French basketball has evolved, as we’ve seen the past few years on the NBA side. We see Wemby or Zaccharie Risacher that show that French basketball is great, and now with the women, so me, it just shows that it’s not only men French players, it’s also women. It’s just French basketball in general,” Malonga said after Adja Kane joined her as a fellow French woman taken in Monday night's draft.
“I’m so proud just to show that today French basketball is at a level that we have never seen.”
Malonga became the first French female to dunk in a game last fall after winning silver at the Paris Games by losing a doozy of a gold medal game to the U.S. She also can shoot from outside the 3-point line. She averaged 15.0 points and 10.3 rebounds so far this season while playing for Lyon.
Not bad for someone who doesn't turn 20 until Nov. 16.
Malonga said playing internationally in FIBA toughened her up. Just check the video from any of France's games at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
“You all watched it and you could see that the games were — every game was tight. We could see great players that evolve in this league, so of course it was like high-level teams,” Malonga said. “Every minute that I spent on the court there, I know that I learned something and that I improved on my game. Yeah, FIBA basketball is something today, and I think that it really helped me to be ready for the league.”
Malonga joins the Storm, who went 25-15 last season. Seattle has a very experienced roster with nine-time All-Star Nneka Ogwumike, three-time WNBA champ Alysha Clark, who was first drafted in 2010, and six-time All-WNBA guard Skylar Diggins-Smith heading into her 11th season and second with the Storm.
Now the teenager has to move to a new country and then travel all the way across the U.S. to Seattle all before celebrating her 20th birthday. She knows she's also representing family in Cameroon and Congo.
Malonga sounds ready to seize this opportunity, which should help the transition.
“I’m really, really excited to step on the court in the W and to show that European basketball is something, too, and I can come here and showcase my talent,” Malonga said.
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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
Teresa M. Walker, The Associated Press
