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WNBA All-Star game: Kiki Iriafen on playing in the league today<\/p>\n
“I wouldn’t be able to reap the benefits of this if it weren’t for all the women before me.”<\/p>\n
Paige Bueckers has been through injuries during her college career, but the stars aligned the Minnesota native would be picked by the Lynx star and play for her coach.Kiki Iriafen was in a dustup with Sophie Cunningham in her preseason opener, a valuable lesson she said, as she embarked on an All-Star campaign.Sonia Citron was the lone rookie to participate in Friday’s festivities. The former Notre Dame star received a nice gesture from vet Sabrina Ionescu.<\/p>\n
INDIANAPOLIS \u2014 Call it adrenaline, \u201cexcitement,\u201d Kiki Iriafen made a loud introduction<\/a> to the WNBA<\/a> on the Gainbridge Fieldhouse floor, drawing a roar of boos from Indiana Fever<\/a> fans.<\/p>\n Sophie Cunningham<\/a> had won position for an offensive rebound and, as she corralled it, Iriafen\u2019s right arm stretched across Cunningham\u2019s chest. The ball bounced free and their momentum carried them to the floor with Cunningham having an assist via Iriafen.<\/p>\n When Cunningham popped up, she went up to Iriafen and said, \u201cYou don\u2019t (expletive) do that.\u201d It did two things: Showed Iriafen wasn\u2019t afraid of the moment in her first game but also served as a valuable lesson.<\/p>\n Her rookie season has turned out fine. Iriafen is one of three rookies named WNBA All-Stars alongside Washington Mystics teammate and former Notre Dame star Sonia Citron<\/a> and former UConn star Paige Bueckers<\/a>, of the Dallas Wings.<\/p>\n \u201cI think I was just really excited that game. There was no (malicious) intent or anything (it was) my first ever WNBA game,\u201d Iriafen said of the preseason opener, Cunningham\u2019s introduction to Fever fans. \u201cFor me, I think I just learned to settle down a little bit, \u2018slow is pro,\u2019 and kind of just getting a taste of what the pace is in the WNBA.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the biggest thing that I learned about myself is that I\u2019m a competitor and I just give it my all in everything that I do.\u201d<\/p>\n The Mystics are just 11-11 but the two rookies and fellow All-Star Brittney Sykes have had a surprise start to the season. Iriafen is averaging 11.9 points and 8.5 rebounds per game and has seven double-doubles, four of which came in her first five games. Her rebounds averages are fourth best in the league.<\/p>\n Citron, who averages 14.1 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists, and her classmates echoed the biggest challenges of transitioning to the WNBA from college, which includes rolling straight into their professional careers in a month\u2019s time.<\/p>\n \u201cJust the schedule and really learning how to take care of your body and your mind,\u201d Citron said. \u201cPlaying every other day, the volume of games that we have, that\u2019s one thing that really took getting used to.\u201d<\/p>\n Though Iriafen, a star at Stanford who played one season alongside Lexie Hull<\/a> before transferring to USC and playing alongside JuJu Watkins, was also reflective about what\u2019s next for her.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the biggest challenge for me is I\u2019m guarding the best players in the world, the best players in the league, so you can never really have an off night defensively because they\u2019ll really exploit that and just kind of stepping up my basketball IQ,\u201d she said. \u201cI feel like the greatest players have tremendous basketball IQ, so I feel like that\u2019s the next area of growth for me.\u201d<\/p>\n Paige Bueckers on WNBA CBA negotiations<\/p>\n “There definitely wasn’t a point where we agreed,” Bueckers said. “There’s definitely a lot more that we want as players.”<\/p>\n Bueckers was the clear-cut first pick in April\u2019s draft, and the Wings star hasn\u2019t disappointed. Her 18.4 points per game ranks eighth in the WNBA. She adds 5 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game.<\/p>\n The 23-year-old star suffered a torn ACL that caused her to miss the 2022-23 season at UConn, and the year prior tore her meniscus and had tibial plateau fracture. She\u2019s simply thankful for the ability to still be playing.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s super crazy to think about my whole life\u2019s journey up to this point,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n And it isn\u2019t lost on the Minnesota native she was picked to play alongside former UConn star Napheesa Collier<\/a>, her team captain, whose Lynx coach, Cheryl Reeve<\/a>, will also be on her bench. Video circulated of Bueckers trying to defend Collier during practice Friday morning.<\/p>\n \u201cBeing the little girl that looked up to the Minnesota Lynx, just wanting to be everything that they were and now being coached by Cheryl in the All-Star Game and playing with the best players in the world, it\u2019s just a crazy experience that I\u2019m extremely thankful for,\u201d said Bueckers, who is also teammates with former Huskie Breanna Stewart. \u201cI just never want to take it for granted what I get to do here and be a part of this. I\u2019m just trying to enjoy this as much as I can.\u201d<\/p>\n Full video of Paige Bueckers vs Napheesa Collier in practice<\/p>\n What\u2019s not shown is that Phee started it by faking Paige out and pointing to the media and saying \u201cisn\u2019t that your dad?\u201d before stealing the ball from Paige\u2019s hands pic.twitter.com\/WPV8ChVRWo<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Maggie Vanoni (@maggie_vanoni) July 18, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n She\u2019s a seasoned vet, having long been in a spotlight similar to Fever star Caitlin Clark<\/a>. When they met on July 13, Bueckers had 21 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals, making 9 for 15 shots. Clark had nine points but 13 assists as the Fever won 102-83.<\/p>\n The Mystics teammates are both 21. Citron competed in Friday night\u2019s 3-point challenge, a 36.5% 3-point shooter in her first 22 career games. She scored just 19 points in her first round, last among the five shooters.<\/p>\n But that didn\u2019t take away from her weekend. Sabrina Ionescu, who won the 3-point contest, said afterwards she was going to give half of her winnings, valued at 30% of her salary or $62,418 per Spotrac<\/a>, to Citron (so, she’ll get $31,209 if an even split), who said she was nervous and for having the guts to be the only rookie to participate in Friday night’s events.<\/p>\n “I told Sonia that I would give her half if I won when we were sitting on the bench,” Ionescu said, “being the only rookie, and she was nervous; I was nervous for her. I obviously have to hold up my end of the bargain, so half will go to her. I’ve got to text her and let her know that I’m giving her half of it just for participating. That takes a lot of courage to be able to do that as a rookie, and what she did, and I was really proud of her. Then the other half will go to my foundation to continue to be able to give back to communities that mean a lot to me.”<\/p>\n Said Citron: \u201cIt\u2019s amazing to feel that people are seeing the work that I\u2019m putting in and acknowledging that. I definitely wasn\u2019t expecting it but I\u2019m just really grateful for it,\u201d Citron said Friday morning.<\/p>\n And now they\u2019re each 1-for-1 in All-Star game appearances.<\/p>\n \u201cOh my gosh, it means so much to me. I wasn\u2019t expecting this at all. Coming in my rookie year, I was just hoping to get to play my rookie year and make an impact,\u201d Iriafen said. \u201cSo, to be recognized as an All-Star, I\u2019m just super blessed and grateful and to do it with Sonia and Slim (Brittany Sykes) is, I feel like, the most exciting part.\u201d<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/85273428007-1-gs-09421.JPG\"\/)
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