Plenty of hype surrounded France's Dominique Malonga before the Seattle Storm took her at No. 2 overall in the 2o25 WNBA Draft, and the young phenom has finally shown her flash of basketball brilliance in WNBA play. Malonga hasn't gotten as much consistent court time as her rookie counterparts like Paige Bueckers, Sonia Citron, Kiki Iriafen, and Saniya Rivers, but she showed she's clearly making the most of the touches she does get in her historic performance against the Chicago Sky.
Malonga has had good outings before, but she finally had her breakout moment with her 14 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, and two blocks in just 17 minutes of play versus the Sky. The double-double she put up landed her in the WNBA history books as the youngest player ever to notch one at only 19 years and 250 days old. Malonga beat out previous record holder Liz Cambage, who set the mark in 2011, by 40 days.
Dominique Malonga’s historic career-high performance ⬇️
14 PTS | 10 REB | 3 AST | 2 BLK https://t.co/mIXbgePbVs pic.twitter.com/nVURa4kEzc
— WNBA (@WNBA) July 25, 2025
As the youngest player in the league overall, Malonga possesses huge potential and a nearly unlimited ceiling, based on her skill set. Malonga came into the W with years of professional international experience, including representing France with the national team and playing against WNBA players overseas.
Malonga's highlight reel-level play drew tons of attention in her direction, as she was compared by some to fellow Frenchman Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs. She went pro in her home nation back in 2021 at just 15 and joined the Paris Olympic squad in 2024, winning the silver medal in a thrilling gold-medal showdown with Team USA.
Despite being only 19, she was eligible for the WNBA Draft due to the league requiring only international players to turn 20 years old by the time the calendar year ends, whereas domestic players must be 22. Malonga's effortless dunking ability in workout sessions and pregame warmups dazzled Storm and W fans alike, and if her play against the Sky is any indication, spectators might be in for a treat really soon — and WNBA players should be on high alert come next Olympic Games.