WNBA: Why Dominique Malonga is the Seattle Storm’s next, great unicorn

In 2001 WNBA Draft, the Seattle Storm selected a then-19-year-old 6-foot-5 international big with ahead-of-her-time abilities as a three-level scorer and game-altering defender as the No. 1 pick. Things worked out pretty well during Lauren Jackson’s 12 seasons in a Storm uniform. In addition to compiling an illustrious individual resume that featured three MVPs, a Finals MVP, one DPOY, eight All-WNBA nods, five All-Defense selections, seven All-Star nominations and three scoring crowns, the Aussie led Seattle to a pair of titles in 2004 and 2010.

24 years later, could history begin repeating itself in Seattle?

In the 2025 WNBA Draft, the Storm selected Dominique Malonga, a 19-year-old and 6-foot-6 French phenom, with the No. 2 overall pick. She oozes potential, possessing a skill set that introduces new horizons and heights to women’s basketball. She weds the talents of a traditional big—rim running, low-post scoring and shot blocking—with ball-handling and shooting potential that could exceed that of the sport’s best primary perimeter stars. And yes, she can dunk—with ease.

Seattle is well situated to steer Malonga towards her highest outcomes. First, she’ll be greeted by a familiar face in Gabby Williams, her teammate on the French national team. There are few better leaders in league history than Nneka Ogwumike. Big Mama Sky (Skylar Diggins-Smith) will provide tough love while exemplifying the competitive fire required to thrive in the W. Ezi Magbegor can provide quiet advice about living in the Pacific Northwest as a young woman far from home. Erica Wheeler is always eager to embrace, include and uplift her teammates, while Alysha Clark is a caring vet who will not hesitate to offer support.

The current composition of the Storm, combined with the franchise’s history (where the successes of the Jackson era were later followed by two more titles in 2018 and 2020, which were attained with the services of another singular superstar with outlier abilities in Breanna Stewart), inspires further confidence in the likelihood that Malonga can reach her ceiling in Seattle, however high it may be. Seattle knows what it takes to win championship—and Malonga can take them there again.

The question is: When when will Seattle’s Malonga Moment arrive? Could it be in 2025?

It feels too ambitious to foist outsized expectations on the teenager for the 2025 season. Yet, it seems equally unwise to doubt her ability to be a difference maker in year one. In the sky-high scenario, it will be instantly evident that Malonga is ready to roll, entering the Storm’s rotation as an every-game super sub who threatens the Dallas Wings’ Paige Bueckers for Rookie of the Year honors. More realistically, Malonga will see consistent, albeit somewhat limited minutes, off the bench every night, showing other-worldly flashes in some games and struggling with the physicality and maturity of the WNBA in others. In a rosy-but-realistic timeline, Malonga’s early season features a fair share of highlights that are counterbalanced by growing pains, yet by season’s end, the positive contributions begin to significantly outweigh the still-present mistakes, resulting in the rookie closing some games and having a guaranteed spot in Seattle’s playoff rotation. While not the Rookie of the Year, she would be a cinch for unanimous All-Rookie honors, looking poised for an All-Star-level leap in year two.

Regardless of how Malonga’s first season unfolds, the Seattle Space Needle, etched within the Storm’s logo, appropriately symbolizes the trajectory of the team and their newest unicorn. And, in addition to the Storm’s core of solid veterans, Seattle may have snagged another player in Monday night’s draft who can, literally, assist Malonga in carrying the Storm to future success.

Don’t sleep on Serena Sundell

A favorite of some draftniks, Serena Sundell was one of the biggest perceived fallers in the 2025 WNBA Draft, allowing Seattle to grab her at No. 26 overall.

But, everything appears to have fallen into place quite nicely for the 6-foot-1 guard from Kansas State who led Division I with 7.3 assists per game in 2024-25. Not only will she be playing in the same city as her brother, who is an offensive lineman for the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks, but she has the opportunity to carve out a long WNBA career firing passes to Malonga. Sundell has plenty of experience feeding a 6-foot-6 dominant big, even if Malonga does her work differently than K-State great Ayoka Lee.

Sundell is not just a distributor; she improved as a 2-point scorer over the course of her four seasons in Manhattan, KS. Her size should allow that aspect of her game to translate, although she’ll have to first adjust to the increased physicality and athleticism of the W. That also applies to the defensive end, where she averaged a decent two defensive playmaking stats per game as a collegian. Playing alongside talents that will demand double teams, whether that be the peak version of Malonga or the current version of Ogwumike, should present easier scoring opportunities for Sundell, while Malonga, Ogwumike and Magbegor can protect her potential defensive vulnerabilities. And in turn, Sundell will make things easier for her star teammates, unleashing her arsenal of pinpoint passes.

With Malonga and Sundell, Seattle was one of the big winners of the 2025 WNBA Draft, and, no matter the changes that will be ushered in by the new CBA, the Storm seem set to keep winning for seasons to come.