Dominique Malonga Has Entered the Chat & Is Built to Break the Game

She’s 19.

She’s 6’6.

She speaks three languages and once she reaches her ceiling, will be moving like a version of Candace Parker with WiFi.

Dominique Malonga didn’t come to the WNBA to fit in, not at all. Instead, Malonga came to break the mold, rip it in half, and turn it into a poster.

You don’t usually see rookies talk like this or move like this. Better yet, think like this.

But nothing about Malonga is usual, which is why she’s such a rare gem. She’s not here to “develop.” She’s here to become a problem — for opposing bigs, for defensive schemes, for anyone who forgot the Seattle Storm added one of the most interesting young players on the planet.

“So far it’s what I’m expecting,” Malonga said with a grin. “A lot of physicality. High pace. And I’m getting used to how fast things move.”

Welcome to the W. No space to think. No time to breathe. Just hoop.

And that’s exactly what she plans to do.

Stretch 5? Try Stretching the Entire Definition of a Center

Malonga doesn’t want to become a big.

She wants to be the big.

“When they had me, it’s not only to play the 5 in the paint,” she said. “It’s to have this balance. I can shoot, I can drive.”

With this type of mentality, that’s even more crucial in today’s modern WNBA. That’s the game today, play anywhere, hurt you everywhere.

There’s a self-awareness in her game — and her vision for it — that feels a few years ahead of schedule.

She sees herself not just as a post option, but as a franchise piece, a two-way weapon, someone you build around. When asked what Malonga would type of player she’d want to get recognized as in 5 years, to become these were her words.

 

“A player that is dangerous on both sides of the floor,” she said of who she wants to become. “A big role in the franchise, just a player you can count on in any situation. Who can score in any situation. And can be dangerous anywhere.”

Put that on a billboard.

Just Play. Just Cook. Just Dominate.

Malonga models her game after one of the best playes to touch a basketball, Candace Parker.

Funny enough, both share a lot of the same traits. Versatile, mobile, and devastating in transition or in the halfcourt. Even crazier is that Malonga has even more size to bully her opponents and has enough handles on the perimeter to get past defenses.

But the best part? She’s not pressing.

“You have nothing to prove,” she said. “Just have fun. Don’t think too much. Just play.”

You could write that in cursive on every rookie’s locker. But Malonga’s already living it.

She’s learning the defensive principles. She’s adjusting to the physicality. She’s soaking up knowledge from vets like Gabby Williams, Nneka Ogwumike, and Ezi Magbegor — “biggest supporters,” she calls them.

But the foundation’s already solid.

The confidence? Off the charts.

“Our game today, I already can play on the perimeter,” she added. “It’s easy to extend.”

Yeah. It is. Especially when you’re 6’8 with a stepback three. 

Malonga isn’t just a prospect. She’s a blueprint.

A blueprint for what modern players in the WNBA will become. Positionless, fearless, and built to make you look stupid in space. She’s raw, sure.

She’ll make mistakes. But the ceiling?

It’s somewhere north of Candace and east of chaos.

She’s not here to blend in. She’s here to cook and it looks like the rest of the league is already ready for the smoke.