rewrite this content and keep HTML tags (remove this from content : rewrite this content and keep HTML tags)
SEATTLE — No. 2 pick Dominique Malonga participated in her first WNBA practice with the Seattle Storm on Tuesday, less than 72 hours after arriving from her home in France, and created energy by throwing down her first Seattle dunk in a drill.
“I couldn’t wait to be here with the team to start practicing, to start experiencing WNBA level,” Malonga said. “That’s what I did today, so I’m super happy to be here.”
Although Malonga is still fighting jet lag, which she said has her waking up at 3 a.m. PST since her arrival, she had enough energy midday to throw down one of the dunks that have become her signature skill at 6-foot-6.
“You had to be there,” Storm coach Noelle Quinn said jokingly when asked about the dunk, before expounding. “She can dunk. She’s over the rim. It was powerful. It was athletic. It was good to see.”
The Storm later posted video of the dunk on X.
The proof 😤 https://t.co/NdoqTohRUQ pic.twitter.com/Z1FONQivhz
— Seattle Storm (@seattlestorm) May 7, 2025
Including All-Star Games, eight WNBA players have dunked during games. But only Brittney Griner, who holds the all-time record with 27, has dunked more than twice. Malonga, who has shown the ability to finish above the rim without needing a runway to gather speed, figures to change that sooner rather than later.
“I think that it is a part of her game,” Quinn said, “but also we had the spacing to do it, so just to see where she could possibly pick her spots — if not, you know, defensively, getting out on the break. But also what it did was also gave us some energy within the drill that we were doing.”
That reaction is part of what Malonga likes about dunking.
“I love it because everybody’s hyped,” she said. “I’m hyped and I feel like it’s going to give me a lot of energy to put on the court after. It’s a great feeling.”
That said, Malonga isn’t looking to put WNBA opponents on a poster. That became a light-hearted storyline on social media after Malonga was selected No. 2 in last month’s draft and videos of her dunking trended. Los Angeles Sparks forward Rickea Jackson posted on X: “Please don’t let me be the first WNBA player to get dunked on.”
Indiana Fever guard Sydney Colson then quoted Jackson and hoped Jackson would get dunked on. Malonga, who does not have an X account, saw the exchange.
“I saw that something was going on Twitter,” she said. “I’m not really active on that, but it was funny. I’m not that kind of person to say, ‘I’m going to dunk on you.’ It’s funny for me.”
The ability to dunk is a small part of what made Malonga the No. 2 pick. At age 19, she averaged 18.5 points and 11.0 rebounds in EuroCup competition with ASVEL, ranking in the league’s top 10 in both categories while playing against a variety of WNBA opponents — including new Seattle teammate Li Yueru.
Malonga’s season in France wrapped up on April 23. She was able to take a quick break before arriving in Seattle.
Editor’s Picks
2 Related
“I took a few days off at home with my family because I had a really long season back in France, a really tough season, so I really needed those days to rest with my family,” Malonga said. “A few days of rest, and back into it. I arrived Saturday night and I think it went really fast, the physical testing to be cleared for practice today.”
Hours after landing, Malonga got a special greeting at Climate Pledge Arena, the Storm’s home arena, where the videoboards and other screens in the arena welcomed her to Seattle. Malonga sat on the bench in street clothes on Sunday as the Storm beat Connecticut 79-59 in the team’s lone preseason game.
Tuesday was also the first practice for Seattle veterans Ezi Magbegor and Gabby Williams, who likewise recently completed their European seasons. Magbegor and Williams were in attendance for the week of Storm training camp, as required by the WNBA’s prioritization rule for players with more than two years of experience in the league, but did not participate in live action.
For Magbegor and Williams, returning starters who have been with the Storm since 2020 (Magbegor) and 2022 (Williams), training camp is mostly about building chemistry with new teammates and ramping back into game condition. Malonga, adjusting to a new country and a new league, has more to learn before the Storm begin the regular season on May 17.
“I was pretty sure that it was going to be tough for me today and it was,” Malonga said. “The game is super fast. We played and we practice against boys [a practice squad of men] every day, so of course it’s a high level of intensity. It was kind of hard for me, but I can’t wait to get in rhythm.”
