Two years. That’s how long it had been since anyone threw down a dunk in the WNBA All-Star Game. Enter Dominique Malonga, the 20-year-old Seattle Storm center with a 6-foot-6 frame and absolutely zero fear of the moment. What happened at United Center on Saturday night wasn’t just a highlight — it was a statement. The future of the WNBA’s interior game has arrived, and she’s only getting started.
The play itself was deceptively simple. Angel Reese grabbed a defensive rebound for Team Coop, pushed the ball up the floor, and spotted Malonga streaking down the lane. One bounce pass later, Malonga gathered, rose, and threw down a two-handed slam that sent the record crowd of 19,783 into absolute pandemonium. The bench cleared. Players from both teams were laughing, high-fiving, covering their mouths in disbelief. Even the referees cracked a smile.
The Youngest to Ever Do It
At 20 years old, Malonga became the youngest player in WNBA history to dunk in an All-Star Game — and just the seventh player ever to do it, period. The list before her: Lisa Leslie, Brittney Griner, Liz Cambage, Sylvia Fowles, Jonquel Jones, and Chiney Ogwumike. That’s two Hall of Famers, three future Hall of Famers, and now a 20-year-old who’s still figuring out what she can do on a basketball court.
The dunk wasn’t a fluke, either. Malonga had been dunking in practice all season. She’d done it in Europe during her pre-WNBA career. She’d done it during Unrivaled, the 3×3 offseason league. But in 63 games with the Storm, it hadn’t happened in a live game — until All-Star Saturday, when the lights were brightest.
More Than Just a Dunk
Malonga didn’t just make history with the slam. She finished the game with 12 points and 13 rebounds — a double-double that also made her the youngest player to record one in WNBA All-Star history. She came off the bench for Team Coop and immediately changed the energy of the game. At one point in the third quarter, she grabbed three offensive rebounds on a single possession, drawing a foul and a standing ovation.
“I told her before the game — if you don’t dunk, I’m not talking to you for a week,” Flau’jae Johnson joked after the game. “She looked at me and just smiled. She knew she was going to do it.”
The dunk also ended a bizarre drought. The last All-Star dunk before Malonga’s came from Brittney Griner in 2022 — four years and two All-Star Games ago. The dunk has always been a rarity in the women’s game, not because of a lack of athleticism but because of the way defenses collapse in the paint. Malonga found a seam, and she didn’t hesitate. That’s the part that impressed veterans most: the decisiveness.
Seattle’s Bright Spot in a Tough Season
The Storm are 6-23, the worst record in the WNBA. It’s been a rough year in Seattle, with injuries and inconsistency plaguing a young roster. But Malonga has been the silver lining — a second-year leap that has the front office excited about the future. Drafted second overall in 2025, she showed flashes as a rookie but has been significantly more impactful in year two. Her per-36-minute numbers are up across the board: points, rebounds, blocks, and field goal percentage.
“This is what we drafted her for,” Storm head coach Noelle Quinn said during All-Star Weekend. “She’s just scratching the surface. The All-Star moment is great, but the goal is for that to be normal. That’s where she’s headed.”
It’s worth pausing to appreciate how rare this is. The WNBA has existed for three decades. In that time, only seven players have ever dunked in an All-Star Game. The last one before Malonga came in 2022 — before she had even played a professional game. The dunk is not just a physical feat; it’s a cultural statement. Every time a woman throws one down on a national stage, it rewires what the next generation of players believes is possible. Malonga didn’t just make a highlight. She moved the goalposts.
Malonga’s journey to the WNBA wasn’t conventional. Born in France to Congolese parents, she played her youth basketball in Europe before being discovered by WNBA scouts at a FIBA tournament in 2023. Her combination of size, mobility, and soft hands around the rim drew immediate comparisons to a young Jonquel Jones. The Storm traded up to draft her, and the investment is starting to pay dividends.
From France to the WNBA: Malonga’s Unlikely Journey
Malonga’s path to WNBA stardom is anything but typical. Born in Lyon, France, to Congolese parents, she grew up playing soccer before a growth spurt at age 14 pushed her toward basketball. She joined the youth academy at LDLC ASVEL, the French powerhouse that produced NBA stars like Tony Parker and Victor Wembanyama, and immediately stood out — not just for her height, but for her coordination. Tall players with soft hands are rare. Tall players who can run the floor like guards are rarer still.
WNBA scouts first noticed Malonga at the 2023 FIBA U20 Women’s European Championship, where she averaged a double-double for France and blocked shots at a rate that had front offices scrambling for background checks. The Storm — who had been quietly rebuilding since the Sue Bird era ended — traded up to secure the second overall pick in the 2025 draft. They bet on potential. On All-Star Saturday, that bet paid its biggest dividend yet.
“She’s been working on that dunk for months,” Storm assistant coach Pokey Chatman said during All-Star Weekend. “In practice, she’d throw one down and the whole gym would stop. We kept telling her: save it for when it matters. She picked the right moment.”
After the All-Star break, Seattle returns to action against the Indiana Fever. The Storm won’t be making the playoffs — that ship sailed months ago — but they’ll have the league’s most exciting young center under contract for years to come. And after Saturday night, every arena she enters will be waiting for the next dunk. The two-year drought is over. Long live the new queen of the WNBA slam.
Sources: Just Women’s Sports, USA Today, Yahoo Sports, Associated Press
Last updated: July 31, 2026