Age is nothing but a number as far as Dominique Malonga is concerned. At 19 years old, the French basketball star became the youngest player ever drafted in the league when the Seattle Storm selected her No. 2 in the 2025 WNBA Draft on Monday, April 14. “I mean, for years now, I'm the youngest, kind of everywhere I go, so I would say that I'm used to that,” Malonga told PEOPLE on the event’s orange carpet before the draft. “And I'm proud to show the world that it's not about age every time. And if you're good, you're good." Good enough for the Storm — and to join fellow Olympic teammate Gabby Williams, who also plays for Seattle. The two were members of France's silver medal-winning squad at the Paris Olympics last summer. For Malonga, getting to draft night was years in the making. She’s already played four years as a pro, and those who have followed her career thus far have likened her to another French basketball-playing phenom: Victor Wembanyama. And like the San Antonio Spurs star, Malonga says her family will join her in her new city. She is, after all, still a teenager. “It's hard, yes, not knowing, because everything that I do is a family affair,” Malonga told PEOPLE before the draft. “So it's concerned me and my family. So I just can't wait to know where I go to, tell my family, and to prepare them to follow me.” After she learned that the Pacific Northwest was calling, the 6-foot, 6-inch guard couldn’t contain her excitement. “I feel so great, I couldn't expect better,” she said. “I just can't wait to go to Seattle and to give them back the love that they showed me today.” The phenom — who last year became the first Frenchwoman to dunk in a game — is ready for her moment stateside. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. “I just can't wait to step on the court and to play against anybody,” she told PEOPLE. “I just want to play.”