Dominique Malonga is about to land in the WNBA and is already one of the most interesting players involved in the draft next Monday, April 14. Her place in the spotlight comes from the cradle, as she is the daughter of a major athlete.
Dominique Malonga’s Parents
Born in Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon, the 6’6″ Dominique Malonga is the daughter of Thalance Malonga and Agathe N’Nindjem-Yolemp. Both played professional basketball, but it was Agathe who reached the highest level.
Dominique Malonga’s mother played center for six French and two Spanish clubs between 2000 and 2012. Among her most notable successes during this period were a second-place finish with Perfumerías Avenida in 2007 and a third-place finish with CB Ciudad de Burgos in 2005, both in the Spanish Liga Femenina.
Agathe was also a member of the Cameroon national team that finished ninth in the 2009 FIBA African Women’s Championship.
After retiring from active sports, Agathe started running an academy, which was the springboard for Dominique to start her basketball career at a very young age.
Dominique Malonga’s Career at a Glance
It didn’t take long for Dominique Malonga to excel in basketball, both for her stature and her extraordinary skills. After the family moved to France, she quickly landed a spot at the National Training and Boarding School (INCEP), which would be pivotal in her development.
It was there that she was discovered by former NBA star Tony Parker, also an INCEP product. Parker offered Malonga a professional contract to play for his own club in the French league, LDLC ASVEL Lyon. The then-16-year-old decided to accept and thus began her professional career.
In just three years, Dominique became one of the league’s top stars. She had a rocky start due to a series of injuries. But after a loan spell at Tarbes, she returned to Lyon for the current 2024-2025 season, ready to shine.
Despite her injuries, her rise in French basketball has been meteoric. Her high level led her to the French national team that won the silver medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
She also became the first French player to dunk in an official game, corresponding to the 2024-25 EuroCup Women. It was the game in which ASVEL Lyon defeated Apollon Limassol of Cyprus 115-51.
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“She is an unbelievably intriguing player because she has size, athleticism, and range,” former WNBA’s Washington Mystics general manager Mike Thibault said, according to AP. “She’s got a wide range of skills, which makes her pretty intriguing.”
Tony Parker, meanwhile, compared her to French NBA star Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs.
Now, she’ll take her talent to the storied Seattle Storm franchise, who have won four championships.
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