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Par Pierre-Andréa Fraile | Journaliste sportif
Selected with the 2nd pick in the latest WNBA Draft, Dominique Malonga is still struggling to find a place in the Seattle Storm’s rotation. Her illustrious predecessor Isabelle Fijalkowski was quick to warn her off in L’Équipe.
Often compared to Victor Wembanyama before her arrival in the United States, she is still waiting to meet with similar success. Indeed, Dominique Malonga’s first few weeks here have been trickier than those experienced by her young compatriot. A member of the Storm’s sizeable and talented squad, she has averaged just 8.6 minutes per game in her seven WNBA appearances.
However, according to Isabelle Fijalkowski, the hardest part is yet to come. She tells to L’Équipe:
Isabelle Fijalkowski: She has the physical and technical qualities to adapt. (…) But be careful: the difficulty will be to hold out over the long term. The matches follow one another every 2-3 days, with a lot of travelling. Tall players like her have to manage their recovery well to avoid injury.
Isabelle Fijalkowski urges Dominique Malonga not to get carried away
Like Malonga this year, Fijalkowski arrived in the WNBA as the 2nd draft pick in 1997. After two remarkable seasons in the North American league, which was still in its infancy at the time, the former French international was well aware of the physical demands involved. This would be even truer today, prompting her to warn her worthy successor:
Isabelle Fijalkowski: You have to know how to stop and take breaks. WNBA seasons are longer than in my day, and calendars overlap more and more with international competitions. You have to make intelligent choices to last.
Malonga seems to have understood this, as she won’t be playing in the Euro with the French national team for a few days. Fijalkowski therefore invites her to enjoy her first season in the WNBA to the full… without betraying her identity:
Isabelle Fijalkowski: I’d tell her to live it to the full, but without losing himself. The WNBA is a show, a business. It’s exhilarating, but you have to keep your feet on the ground and not lose sight of what’s essential: you’re here to play basketball, not to become a star at any price. Humility is essential, you mustn’t think you’re someone you’re not (…) If she keeps this approach, she’ll succeed.
Relatively optimistic about the young French prodigy, Fijalkowski nevertheless predicts a brighter future for her… in Europe:
Isabelle Fijalkowski: She can become a major player in Europe’s top clubs and aim for EuroLeague titles. And of course, play a key role in the French national team.
