The Seattle Storm will be happy with their 2025 season performance, with the franchise poised to build around a star player. Their top pick of the 2025 WNA draft, Dominique Malonga, earned a place in the All-Rookie team. In the postseason, she also continued her stunning form, as Malonga made WNBA history by becoming the first teenager to drop a playoff double-double.
The record-setting forward also planned her offseason move to a Turkish club, Fenerbahçe, which would have been a valuable learning experience for the youngster. But the star terminated her contract, and rumors suggest that she would play in the Unrivaled league.
Dominique Malonga To Play In Unrivaled League
The 3-on-3 women’s basketball league is gaining massive popularity. For Season 2, the league already has a few big game players from the WNBA, making it even more entertaining and intriguing for the fans.
According to reports, the player backed out of the contract with the Turkish giants because she wanted to play in the US and participate in the league backed by Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart. Malonga faces backlash over the controversial contract termination with Fenerbahçe, but the rumors have not been confirmed yet, as neither the player nor the league has announced her participation.
Kamuoyuna Duyuru
— Fenerbahçe Opet (@fbkadinbasket) October 20, 2025
Fenerbahçe Opet Kadın Basketbol Takımımızın oyuncularından Dominique Malonga, kulübümüz ile arasında geçerli olan profesyonel oyuncu sözleşmesini, tek taraflı ve haklı bir sebebe dayanmaksızın feshetmiştir.
Bu süreçte, kulübümüzün uğradığı her türlü maddi ve… pic.twitter.com/BNcj0sZJLA
Playing in the Unrivaled helped the LA Sparks’ forward Azura Stevens, who mentioned that she expanded her offensive game before entering the 2025 season. The Seattle rookie would be hoping for a similar impact on her career.
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However, regardless of the truthfulness of the rumors, her decision to back out of the contract with Fenerbahçe is shocking, as the player would have learned a lot in the 5-on-5 league alongside veteran stars.
Dominique Malonga’s Contract Termination Could Affect Her WNBA Return
The statement from Fenerbahçe is not very encouraging for the youngster. “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,” The statement from Fenerbahçe read.
Incidentally, the WNBA is in agreement with FIBA. This contract allows players to switch between leagues, provided they have a letter of clearance from their most recent league. A player can sign off after fulfilling the obligations of their contract.
On Monday, Fenerbahçe announced Seattle Storm forward Dominique Malonga had "unilaterally terminated her professional player contract with our club without any just cause."
— Annie Costabile (@AnnieCostabile) October 21, 2025
BC of a required letter of clearance this could impede her return to the WNBAhttps://t.co/u2YE7xUO1i
“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. There is nothing new or different with this situation,” the league’s spokesperson mentioned.
If Fenerbahçe decides to take legal action against the player, which would take a considerable amount of time and also give the 19-time league champions the right to allow or disallow the player to play further in any league.