Vanderbilt women’s basketball graduate Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda signed a WNBA replacement contract with the Golden State Valkyries, according to a May 8 announcement. She is now the third former Commodore to secure a deal with a WNBA team before the start of the 2026 season.
Mwenentanda, who plays guard and stands 6-foot-2, signed her contract after Golden State placed center Iliana Rupert on the pregnancy and childbirth exception list. Previously, Mwenentanda had joined the Valkyries on a training camp contract but was waived on May 2.
She is also the second Vanderbilt alum this week to sign with Golden State. Mariella Fasoula, who played for Vanderbilt from 2017 to 2020, signed a development contract with the team earlier in the week.
During her only season at Vanderbilt in 2025-26 as a graduate transfer from Texas, Mwenentanda started all 34 games and helped lead her team to its first Sweet 16 appearance in seventeen years. She averaged career-best numbers: shooting 47.2 percent from the field and posting averages of 6.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, and one steal per game. Her three-point shooting also improved significantly; she made twenty three-pointers this past season compared to seven total during her three years at Texas.
At the beginning of the new WNBA season—which starts tonight—three former Vanderbilt players will be either on an active roster or under development contracts.
