Dominique Malonga delivered one of the defining moments of the 2026 WNBA All-Star weekend when she threw down a thunderous one-handed dunk in the All-Star game. The 6’6″ center from France delivered the iconic moment after seemingly hunting for it the whole game. Selected No.2 in the 2025 draft by Seattle Storm, Malonga has enjoyed a decent second season with the franchise and capped off her All-Star selection in style. However, after the final buzzer sounded, the sophomore revealed that the key to the play was Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese.
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“I saw the open lane,” she said when asked about the lead-up to the dunk. “I just didn’t think about it. I just hollered at Angel at the time, and then she just passed me the ball, and I went, and I kind of like that Angel passed me that ball, post-to-post pass. I really love that.”
The Seattle Storm center became the first player to dunk in an All-Star Game since Sylvia Fowles in 2022. Malonga sprinted through the lane, caught an outstanding pass from Reese, and threw an emphatic finish that brought the entire United Center crowd to its feet. The sequence went viral immediately, with one particular standout moment being Angel Reese’s immediate celebration, hugging Malonga and jumping around. Also joining the celebration was Paige Bueckers, who chest bumped Malonga in the aftermath. It marked a memorable chapter in Malonga’s campaign, as she is now the fifth, as well as the youngest, player to dunk in an All-Star Game.
The other players to have accomplished this feat are Lisa Leslie, Jonquel Jones, Brittney Griner, and Sylvia Fowles. Dunks in the WNBA All-Star Games are a rare sight. Besides the women’s game prioritizing floor spacing, precision passing, footwork, and IQ, the standard 10-foot basketball rim requires elite vertical leaping ability along with remarkable stature. To that end, Malonga’s flourish was indeed a spectacle.
Malonga’s ability to dunk is well known to any fan who has been following her career. Though she has not been able to record one in the regular season with the Storm, she has dunked multiple times both in Europe and at Unrivaled, and has even dunked in practice sessions with her WNBA team.
Dominique Malonga reveals Team Coop wanted her historic moment all game long
According to Malonga, several of her teammates had spent much of the game trying to help her create history.
“The lock pass is hard,” she said. “I think you need to have a certain chemistry, and we haven’t really practiced together, so it’s hard to have the right timing, but at least they try.”
It was Reese’s awareness in the fast break that created the opening, because after seeing Malonga cut into open space, the Atlanta Dream forward delivered a quick interior dime that allowed the center to attack the paint with no hesitation. Malonga made sure to recognize the entire team’s efforts.
“I really appreciate that everybody wanted me to have that moment,” she said. “They really wanted to lead me into it. It’s just so great that they all—everybody wanted me to be great today.”
Malonga finished tonight’s game with 12 points and 13 rebounds in just 16 minutes off the bench, providing a big spark for Team Coop, who, despite her and teammate Kelsey Mitchell’s best efforts, lost by 7 points, 122-129. Notably, the French center also became the youngest player in the league to deliver a double-double in the All-Star Game. Meanwhile, Mitchell recorded a game-high 28 points, but it was no match for Team Spoon’s offensive explosion, with eight of their 11 players recording double-digit points.
The sophomore center is having a stellar season, but unfortunately for her, the Storm can’t say the same. Despite her logging 16.6 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.3 blocks, Seattle is the worst team in the league, sitting at just 6-23 and is currently on a six-game losing streak.