‘It’s super special’: Mystics rookie Kiki Iriafen on being named WNBA All-Star

WASHINGTON — Kiki Iriafen can’t believe she’s a WNBA All-Star so soon.

When the Washington Mystics rookie forward was asked Sunday how she would have responded — when she was drafted three months ago — to the notion of being an All-Star in her first season, Iriafen was blunt.

“I would have laughed at you,” she told reporters, moments after being showered with praises, hugs — and cake — by teammates. “Like, you gotta be crazy.”

But that was the case, as Iriafen was named a reserve for this month’s All-Star Game in Indianapolis, capping an impressive first half of her rookie season with Washington (8-10). Mystics teammate Sonia Citron was also selected as a reserve, making the pair the first rookie teammates in 26 years to be named All-Stars.

“Coming in as a rookie and being recognized as an All-Star is honestly a blessing,” Iriafen said. “And to be able to do it with one of my teammates in Sonia, I think it’s super special.”

In 18 starts this season, Iriafen, whom Washington drafted with the No. 4 pick in April’s draft, has averaged 12.3 points (third among rookies), 8.3 rebounds (tied for fourth in the WNBA), 1.3 assists and 0.8 steals per game. Her five double-doubles, four of which came in her first five games, are tied for the fifth most in the league this season.

Iriafen won rookie of the month in May, the first time ever by a Mystics player, after averaging nearly 14 points and 10 rebounds in the season’s first month.

The 21-year-old has been a versatile forward for the young, rebuilding Mystics. At 6-foot-3, Iriafen crashes the boards, runs the floor and cuts to the basket for easy layups. Her vision and passing make her a viable offensive hub for teammates to work around. However, perhaps most importantly, Iriafen’s combination of size, excellent footwork and ball-handling make her a dangerous player in the midrange and the post.

She’s outmuscled some of the best forwards in the league in just half a season, including Atlanta’s Brionna Jones, Las Vegas’ A’ja Wilson and Phoenix’s Alyssa Thomas.

“She faced the who’s who of the frontcourt the first six, seven games, these Hall of Famers, and she was playing toe-to-toe,” Mystics head coach Sydney Johnson said.

All of which makes Iriafen one of the most popular—and seemingly respected—players in the league. Her 487,035 All-Star fan votes ranked 11th in the league, just behind Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese. Reserves are chosen by the league’s 13 head coaches, who in the previous five years have only selected three rookies: Reese (2024), Atlanta’s Rhyne Howard (2022) and Minnesota’s Napheesa Collier (2019).

Joining Iriafen from the Mystics is Citron, the third pick in April’s draft. She averages 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals. This is the first time rookie teammates were selected All-Stars since the league’s inaugural game in 1999, when the then-Orlando Miracle’s Taj McWilliams-Franklin, Nykesha Sales and Shannon Johnson were chosen.

“Me and Kiki have grown a lot together – grown as people, grown as teammates, grown as players,” Citron said. “And it’s really cool to experience this with her. If you asked both of us at the beginning of the season, we would not have expected it.

“It’s just amazing to go through this with somebody that I love, a dear friend.”

The combination of Iriafen, Citron and Johnson, not to mention veterans Brittney Sykes and Shakira Austin, has the Mystics far outpacing their expectations. Washington started last season 0-12 before finishing with a 14-26 record. Through 18 games this season, the team has eight wins, including notable victories over the Atlanta Dream, Dallas Wings and the Napheesa Collier-less Minnesota Lynx.

“It’s a team award and a team recognition,” Iriafen said. “I wouldn’t be able to be recognized as an All-Star without my teammates. They’ve welcomed me in as a rookie and not made me feel like a rookie at all. They’re great sisters to me.”