The graduate student signs a replacement contract with the Golden State Valkyries to become the third Commodore alum to ink a WNBA deal ahead of the 2026 season
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – On Friday, Vanderbilt women’s basketball graduate Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda signed a WNBA replacement contract with the Golden State Valkyries. She becomes the third Commodore alum to ink a deal with a WNBA team before the start of the 2026 season.
The 6-2 guard signed a replacement contract with Golden State after the franchise put center Iliana Rupert on the pregnancy/childbirth exception list. The Vanderbilt standout was initially on a training camp contract with the Valkyries but was waived on May 2.
Mwenentanda becomes the second Commodore alum to ink a deal with Golden State this week, as Mariella Fasoula (2017-2020) signed a development contract with the Valkyries on Tuesday.
The 6-2 guard completed her lone season in the black and gold in 2025-26, as Mwenentanda transferred into Vanderbilt as a graduate student after a three-year career at Texas. The Sioux Falls, South Dakota, native started in all 34 games for the Commodores in 2025-26, helping the program reach the Sweet 16 for the first time in 17 seasons. The guard shot a career-best 47.2 percent from the floor with the Dores, as she averaged a personal-best 6.9 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game. Mwenentanda showed significant improvement from behind the arc during her time at Vanderbilt, as she made a career-high 20 3-point field goals this past season after making seven 3-pointers total in her three seasons with the Longhorns.
Vanderbilt women’s basketball will have three alums on either an active roster or a development contract at the start of the 2026 WNBA season, which tips off tonight.
In addition to Mwenentanda and Fasoula’s deals with Golden State, Justine Pissott (2023-26) begins her WNBA career on a development contract with the Indiana Fever. Pissott was selected as the No. 25 overall pick by the Fever in the 2026 WNBA Draft and inked her to a development contract on April 17.
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