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In the spring, the Seattle Storm scored big when they drafted French sensation Dominique Malonga. During the season, the “female Wembanyama” became a history-making force on defense.
However, her sophomore season with the Storm could be in jeopardy given her current situation with her Turkish club Fenerbahçe, per Annie Costabile of Front Office Sports. Ultimately, Malonga had terminated her contract, which the team claimed was done for no reason.
“Dominique Malonga, a player of our Fenerbahçe Opet Women’s Basketball Team, has unilaterally terminated her professional player contract with our club without any just cause,” Fenerbahçe posted to its X account on Monday. “We inform the public that we will exercise all our legal rights to seek compensation for any material and moral damages incurred by our club during this process.”
Currently, the WNBA has an agreement with FIBA that allows for players to sign contracts with teams across leagues. It is referred to as the “letter of clearance”. A player can sign off after fulfilling the obligations of their contract.
“We have had an agreement with FIBA for as long as the WNBA has been in existence requiring players to be cleared in both directions when they play overseas and in the WNBA,” a league spokesperson told Front Office Sports. “There is nothing new or different with this situation.”
Dominique Malonga’s stellar rookie season with the Storm
Whatever happens from here, there is no denying that Malonga had a breakout rookie season in Seattle. With the Storm, Malonga averaged 7.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. Additionally, she was named to the 2025 WNBA All-Rookie Team.
Also, Malonga became the youngest player in WNBA history to record a double double with 22 points and 12 rebounds. She also set a consecutive streak of 20 point/10 rebound games. Furthermore, Malonga set a Storm record for having three 20 point games coming off the bench.
Plus, she became the youngest WNBA player to achieve 100 career points.
