Dominique Malonga Speaks on Dunking in Unrivaled & Playing Cam Brink 1-on-1

Teammate is Rekia Jackson, and she said verbally online vocally she vocalized she does not wanna be one of the people to get dunked on.

So is it safe to say that she's clear?

I mean, even in practice that you might not dunk on her.

We just talked about it.

I was like, OK, I, you might submit now, so I'm OK with you.

I'm gonna target somebody else.

What's going on?

It's your girl Maria Clifton, AKA DJ Rhea, and welcome to another episode of Around the W.

That's right, we are in Miami at Unrivaled, and there's so much talent in the building, but today, who we have with us today y'all?

Listen, make some noise.

Not only is she a rising WNBA star with size, bounce, and in her bag and a growing bag wipe ad, OK, it's her first season here at Unrivaled and she's suiting up with Team Breeze.

Please welcome Dominique Malonga.

Yeah, how are you queen?

I'm good.

How are you?

So excited.

First off, do you have a nickname or anything or we just call you Dom Dominique?

Dom.

All right, Dom is in the building with us , so Dom.

This is your first time with Around the W, so the best part about it is we get to kick off the show with sideline couture.

So it's sideline couture.

We either found something in the WNBA season off the court, on the court, because style is important, right?

It's part of the game, right?

It gives you your flair, your pizzazz.

So we're gonna talk about two of your looks today, all right?

So here we go, look number one.

What do we got?

Oh, OK, we pulled this look.

We love the Tims.

I love the Tims street casual look.

What inspired you for this outfit?

Did you dress yourself, by the way, or do you have a stylist?

I, I dress myself, so I don't know.

I bought this top I like Urban Outfitter or something like I like to shop.

To go like to small shops, so I just bought this and I was like, OK, what can I put it on?

I have this jeans forever.

Like they just go to baggy jeans.

I love like the baggy style like I oversized girly really and like teams, the color went with the top and the bubble bag like.

It was just, you know, simple.

I don't, I don't like to do a lot, but just like put the good color together and the good like shapes of it and, effortless style, simplicity.

Let you put this together.

Oh, I just, this is nothing.

By the way, I need some tall pants, so you gotta put me onto your tall girl connect because I know 66 in the building , you got me on that.

Alright, here's another look that we have of yours.

Now this is switched up.

I know you said you're a girly girl and you like your baggy stuff, but this classic chic, I mean, it's giving me a little schoolgirl, a little business, you know, you're not, you're not playing.

So how did you dress yourself for this?

Uh, you know, I'm French from France, and so like that's kind of outside, uh, over there like we were like the preppy style back to school style.

That was the goal.

Uh, Ralph Lauren is one of my favorite brands too, so.

I have so many like um qua and zip shirt.

I know that's a, it's a trend now, the quarter zip.

So yeah, and like I like the style also with ties.

I think like ties always bring something so it was just, yeah, like I wanted to have this back to school, like, yeah , schooly girl.

I love it.

I love it.

So we have our unrivaled tunnel over here.

So are you excited?

For that this coming up season because the fits, you know, you gotta dress to impress .

Really, really excited, so I'm kind of prepping for that and can't wait to throw some fits over there.

OK, we cannot wait to see your looks this coming up season, especially your first year.

Now we gotta jump into Around the W.

That's one of my other favorite segments where we talk about the W, what's going on on arrival.

So this is your first season at Unrival.

What made you want to join the league and what are you looking forward to the most?

Um, I wanted to join this league because it's just competing against the best in the world, and so what better way to improve my game and to be ready for the double season next season just to play against the girls that I will face over there.

And 3 on 3 is just the best way to improve our own skills, and I want to be able to do more things with the ball in my hands, and I think here's the best, the best option for me because it's 3 on 3.

The court is smaller, but we have still a lot of space to operate, and so I want to be able to.

Play more for me, for my teammates, and be more playmaker and really do things with the ball in my hands.

I think I'm in the best spot for that.

I think you're in the greatest spot for this, especially coming from Euro basketball, OK, one of the youngest players from overseas, but in general this would fit your game because of the fast pace.

I know you've talked about that a lot, about the pace between Euro basketball and American basketball.

No, definitely.

I, I, I think what's good with me is that I'm really fast focus player.

I can really run the floor.

Well and all my athleticism and and my speed is really my force on the court, and I talked about it.

It's so different, the physicality between here in the states and Eurobasket, and I know that this league is really physical too, and I need to improve on that, so that's going to be helpful too.

We have the one on one tournament, so we're going hard.

So is this about going hard, give 100%, and really put the work in to improve 100%.

Speaking of the one on one tournament.

Let's talk about the 1 v1 now if you jump into a bracket, who is one of the matchups that you would love to see yourself in?

I don't wanna face a guard, so I, um, I'll say Kim.

Kim, that I think that would be fun yeah because I mean we're the tallest and so.

Yeah, that, I think that's really equal forces.

So just, I think it'll be fine.

Listen, I, you're gonna do great.

Trust me against guards.

Girl, you're 6'6.

You half the work is done.

You don't even have to block them like this.

Just block them before they even get to the basket.

You'll thrive in that, and I think, listen, there's a lot of money on the line.

It's gonna be a great opportunity, and we can't wait to see you in that.

Now you also just finished your rookie season, right, with the Seattle Storm, 2nd pick overall in the WNBA draft.

Now how to develop your game ahead of this season, how do you think this is going to help you for the WNBA season playing an unrivaled?

So as I said first, I'm just playing against the best of the world here, so just the adversity is going to help me.

I know that I'd say that again, but again, I need to be more physical, and of course that's going to help me too.

Uh, even conditioning, you know, we play 3 on 3, it's like, uh, a lot of space to cover on court, on defense.

It's a lot, a lot of 1 on 1 defense, and so it's just, uh, you know, you cannot count on the help.

Now you have to play your own defense and like be in your stand.

So there's so many layers of it and, uh, in practice I think we're gonna have a lot of.

Player development too and so it's the time to really focus on my skills and really my area of improvement and just focus on them and work every day.

We have the space for it here you got it and you're determined.

You already have the mindset.

You're professional, mature.

Speaking of one of your skills and talents, you can dunk, girl.

You've dunked this season.

Now we, we joke about it.

Teammate is Rekia Jackson, and she said verbally online, vocally, she vocalized, she does not wanna be one of the people to get dunked on.

So is it safe to say that she's clear?

I mean, even in practice that you might not dunk on her.

We just talked about it.

I was like, OK, I, you might submit now, so I'm OK with you.

I'm gonna target somebody else.

I'm not talking to everyone, but so we're, we're, we're gonna dunk this season, so we're looking forward.

BG dunk last year, but we'll expect a few from you, maybe a few, 123, yeah, a few, a few of them really.

I really want to implement that in my game.

I really want it to become something that I can do often, so I will work on that too, and really I want to be able to bring that to this league this year.

No, the league is developing.

Our athletes are developing.

You guys are hybrids.

You can do it all.

You could shoot, you go to the basket, you're dunking.

I think this is amazing.

Now, last thing before we get out of here, your squad is stacked, OK?

You got Paige, Ari, Rekia, Kate, Cam, even one, the one you wanted a 1 v1 over here.

So what are your first impressions of this team and how do you guys see yourself fitting against other players and other teams?

As you said, we're really stacked.

This team looks really, really good and it's a young team, so I think we're going to have a lot of fun and we have this really I would say innocence because we're really young and we're just going to go hard every time and I think that's going to help us to go really far.

I think maybe we Have a little lack of experience, but like I think all the energy that we're going to bring and even if we're young, it's a lot of experienced players.

I mean they're all great, so like really we can really do great things together, so I just can't wait to play well.

And speaking of that, how excited are you to connect with your coach or one of your old coaches, Noel Quinn?

No, it's all Seattle Storm stuff, so I'm like I'm thrilled really because I.

I know them like really, really, really, really well and I love them this season, so like it's just going to be super easy to like get into it because they already know me and like really have a great relationship so I can't wait to work we can't wait and your coach, not only was she a WNBA champion, she also is a Seattle Storm.

She champion.

Being with them, so you have a lot of experience and a lot of talent, and we cannot wait to see you this upcoming season at Arrival.

I'm Maria Clifton.

This was another episode of Around the W.

This is Dominique Malonga, and y'all stay tuned to seeing her on the court and for another episode of Around the W.