"Her signing to Unrivaled comes just 10 days after Fenerbahçe, a professional women's basketball club based in Istanbul, Turkey, announced that she "unilaterally terminated her professional player contract with our club without any just cause." "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," Fenerbahçe posted to X."
"In order for Malonga to participate in overseas basketball, the WNBA had to sign on to FIBA's "letter of clearance" system, which allows players to sign contracts in multiple leagues. The letter requires a sign-off from the players' team and federation, and it establishes that the player has fulfilled their duties to the full extent of their contract and is eligible to play elsewhere. Most international leagues require the "letter of clearance" before a player can enter their league."
Dominique Malonga, the No. 2 overall pick by the Seattle Storm in the 2025 WNBA draft, is joining Unrivaled for the 2026 season. The 6-foot-6 French center averaged 7.7 points on 55% shooting and 4.6 rebounds in 14.3 minutes per game as a rookie and was selected to the WNBA All-Rookie Team. Fenerbahçe announced that Malonga unilaterally terminated her contract without any just cause and said it will seek legal compensation for material and moral damages. The WNBA had to sign on to FIBA's letter of clearance system for overseas participation and a clearance from the Turkish federation via Fenerbahçe will be required for a WNBA return in 2026. Sources said Malonga did not need that level of clearance to play in Unrivaled. Unrivaled also signed Aari McDonald and Rebecca Allen, and DiJonai Carrington withdrew due to a left midfoot sprain.
Read at ESPN.com
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