WNBA Draft 2025: Introducing Dominique Malonga, the 6-foot-6 French phenom who could go as high as No. 2

In October 2022, French sports agency Comsport posted a video to social media showing then-16-year-old Dominique Malonga dunking with ease off of two feet during a workout. "Remember the name," the caption read. 

Since then, Malonga has won a silver medal with France at the 2024 Paris Olympics, became the first Frenchwoman to dunk in an official game, led her club team (Lyon) to the semifinals of EuroCup Women 2025, and established herself as a lottery pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft. 

By now, WNBA fans know Malonga's name, and there will be no surprise when commissioner Cathy Engelbert calls it out Monday -- potentially as early as No. 2 overall to the Seattle Storm now that Notre Dame guard Olivia Miles has elected to forgo the draft. 

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Jack Maloney

But because Malonga has spent her entire career in France, most fans know little about her, and few have ever watched her play a full game. Before Malonga takes her talents to the WNBA -- she intends to come over this season and does not want to be a draft-and-stash pick -- here's a closer look at her career path and a scouting report. 

Who is Malonga?

Malonga was born in Cameroon to Thalance Malonga and Agathe N'Nindjem-Yolemp, both of whom were former professional players. She first picked up a basketball in Yaoundé, where her mother had founded an academy, and while she didn't love basketball at first, that changed quickly. 

After her family moved to France, it didn't take long for Malonga to gain recognition. She attended INSEP, a national training center and boarding school in Paris, which has produced the likes of Tony Parker, Boris Diaw and Sandrine Gruda. It was there that Parker first saw her play and invited her to join LDLC ASVEL (Lyon), the club team he owns and operates. 

Malonga could not pass up the opportunity and began her professional career at just 16 alongside the likes of Marine Johannes and Gabby Williams. Due to her age and injuries, Malonga played limited minutes in her first few seasons with Lyon, and was loaned to another French club, Tarbes GB, for the 2023-24 campaign, which accelerated her development. Upon her return to Lyon this season, she was ready to step into a lead role for the club. 

Due to her size, athleticism and perimeter skills, Malonga has often been compared to her compatriot, Victor Wembanyama. In fact, it was Parker who first made the connection way back in 2021. While Malonga understands, she told Rachel DeMita during a recent interview that she's ready to forge her own path in the sport. 

"Being compared to Victor is nice because he's a great player," Malonga said. "The things that he's doing are so amazing, so of course being compared to him is an honor, but I want to make sure that I don't lose my identity in that and I still have my game. When I'm on the court I play as Dominique Malonga, not as Victor."

What does playing like Dominique Malonga look like? Let's find out. 

Strengths

• Size

Malonga stands 6-foot-6 and boasts a remarkable 7-foot-1 wingspan. Last season, there were only nine players in the WNBA that were 6-foot-6 or taller. Right from Day 1, Malonga will be one of the biggest players in the league, which will give her an inherent advantage on both sides of the ball. 

The most obvious benefit of Malonga's size and reach is on the defensive end, where she can block and alter shots around the basket. On the other end, she's a big target in the pick-and-roll and can more easily finish over smaller defenders. 

• Athleticism and mobility

Malonga's fluidity of movement is one of the primary reasons she is such a unique prospect. Very few players her size in the history of women's basketball have moved as gracefully as she does. 

Whether it's diving to the rim in the pick-and-roll, running in transition, switching on the perimeter or arriving at the rim from the weakside, Malonga glides around the court with an ease usually reserved for guards. Her nimble feet, lateral mobility and vertical athleticism make her extremely versatile on both sides of the ball. 

In October 2024, Malonga made history when she threw down a slam in Lyon's win over AEL Solemare in EuroCup Women to become the first Frenchwoman to dunk in a game. A few weeks later, she dunked again in a victory over Enea Gorzow. 

• On-ball skills

Being big and athletic obviously helps, but those traits alone don't make you a great player. Malonga has a chance to be just that because she possesses incredible on-ball skills for a center. She is far from a traditional big, and in fact often seems more comfortable in space. 

Malonga can grab a defensive rebound and go coast-to-coast by herself, but it's even more impressive to watch her work in the halfcourt. It's rare to see a center who can put the ball on the deck from the 3-point line and get all the way to the basket. Even fewer can break out a Euro-step or spin move along the way. 

If that wasn't enough, Malonga also has a little one-legged fadeaway she likes to break out. Malonga called it her "go-to" move when talking to DeMita and said it was inspired by Breanna Stewart, who is her favorite player to watch. 

• Pick-and-roll prowess

Malonga can operate in the post, but right now she's most effective in the pick-and-roll, where she can use her size and mobility to her advantage. As the WNBA evolves and offenses start to look more like they do in the NBA, Malonga has the tools to be a perfect modern big. 

In her interview with DeMita, Malonga quipped that thanks to her size, her teammates can just throw the ball up to her when they're stuck and she'll go get it. While she was joking, her length really does make things much easier for guards, who have a huge target to hit when she rolls to the rim. 

And when Malonga pops instead of rolling, she can show off her on-ball skills. "I really love to pop because I have all the options," Malonga told DeMita. "I can shoot, I can drive, I can Euro... There is so much around the pick-and-pop, so now I really love that." 

As much as Malonga enjoys showing off her guard skills, she acknowledged that rolling is often the better option for her team. "I know that I'm still more efficient in the paint, and of course with my size I cannot be outside the whole game," Malonga said. 

Weaknesses

• Strength

This is the biggest weakness for Malonga, which is not all that surprising considering she's still only 19 years old. There are times when she has trouble dealing with stronger, more physical bigs who are able to bump her off her spot. This happens on both ends of the floor, but ironically the issue is most noticeable at times on offense when she's trying to operate in the post. 

Due to her frame and high center of gravity, Malonga may always struggle with bulkier opponents to some extent, but the good news is she's only going to get stronger as she gets older. She's also well aware of the challenges that await on this front. 

"I know the W is a really tough league where you need to be physically prepared, so that's why the focus that I made this season was on my physicality and my toughness on the court," Malonga told DeMita. 

• Shooting

Malonga's ceiling may ultimately depend on whether she can become a reliable shooter, particularly from 3-point range. 

Over 22 games in the French league this season she went 11 of 38 (28.9%) from behind the arc, and in 14 games of EuroCup Women action she was 6 of 21 (28.6%). She has a pretty fluid release, especially for a center, and put up 1.6 3s per game combined between both competitions. 

Her willingness to shoot the ball is encouraging, and she won't have to be a lights-out shooter to still be an effective player. But if she can make 3s at an even a league-average clip and force teams to respect her on the perimeter, she'll be extremely difficult to guard. 

At the free throw line, Malonga shot 68.6% between both leagues. While that's not a disastrous number, she'll need to get better there as well.