Athlete Q&A: Catching Up With WNBA All-Star Kiki Iriafen

Number Four overall WNBA Draft pick. WNBA Rookie of the Month. WNBA All-Star. Just a few months into her professional career, Kiki Iriafen is making a name for herself with the Washington Mystics, and it’s safe to say that she’s just getting started. However, it wasn’t that long ago that LA native Iriafen was suiting up in the Cardinal & Gold to help lead the Women of Troy to the Elite Eight. House of Victory caught up with Iriafen to hear more about how the start of her professional career has been, what it means to be an All-Star and more.

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

House of Victory: First of all, tell us how the start of your first professional season has been! 

Kiki Iriafen: I’m playing with the Washington Mystics and it’s been great so far. It’s truly been a whirlwind of emotions and a rollercoaster. We’ve had some tough games to start the season and we’ve held our own. For me specifically, my position has some of the best players in the world, so getting into the League and having to guard Brittney Griner, A’ja Wilson, Aliyah Boston, hasn’t been an easy task, but it’s been so fun and rewarding just challenging myself and seeing how I match up with these established players. My first two months in the league have been exciting, they haven’t been easy, but it’s just been exciting to learn every single day. 

HOV: At the time of this interview, you lead the Mystics in rebounds per game, are third in points per game, have won a Rookie of the Month award and are in the running to be an All-Star. How have you been able to come in and make such an immediate impact? 

KI: Honestly, I think it’s just the mental aspect for me. Something that I have to prioritize is making sure my mind is right. When you’re on a bigger stage there are more eyes and you’re under a bigger microscope, so I’m doing whatever I can to make sure I’m in a great head space. For me, that was making sure I had my own mental performance coach, and talking to them so that I can stay on top of my goals and things that I need to do. That's one of the biggest things I had to work on, my mind and just making sure I’m in a good spot. For me, basketball is 99 percent mental and one percent physical so as much as I work out and train, it’s really making sure my mind is leveling up to the amount of work I put into my body.

HOV: What would being named an All-Star, whether it’s this season or in the future, mean to you?

KI: Honestly, being named an All-Star would be super rewarding. I think that’s something that every professional athlete is striving for: making the All-Star-caliber level. Just hearing my name in the running is super exciting - it’s nothing that I expected in my rookie season. I didn’t even expect Rookie of the Month! I didn’t even know that was an award! I’ve found so much success in not focusing on those external accolades and validation, but obviously it’s nice to have your name be a part of all that. 

If I’m named an All-Star I’d definitely be really excited, really grateful. I’d probably be one of the youngest people there, so I’d really just tap the brains of all the players there who have really made it and accomplished so many great things, and be able to do so in a space that’s not as competitive, where we can have fun and enjoy the weekend. I’d use it as an opportunity to pick the brains of A'ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart and use it as a networking opportunity.

HOV: Tell us about your Draft experience - it looked amazing!

KI: The Draft is kind of an organized chaos where there’s so much information thrown at you, but it’s information that you need. We got to New York on Friday, had things on Saturday and Sunday and then Monday is the day of the Draft. 

We’re doing stuff with the WNBPA, learning about the union, our rights, the benefits that come from being a professional athlete in the WNBA, and also meeting with the League and learning about our 401k, taxes, different benefits and all these things. This is really my first time being an adult in a lot of ways! 

Then on Monday, it’s showtime. We go to the Empire State Building, we see the Statue of Liberty, all of that stuff, and it really started to hit in that moment, ‘Wow this is really happening.’ I feel like that’s where all of us as draftees really got to connect, settle in a little bit and enjoy the moment. It was super fun because a lot of these girls you've competed against for four years, but now you’re in an environment where you can just talk and get to know each other, so that was super cool. 

Then it’s Draft Night where you’re sitting in the room and I feel like that’s where the nerves really hit. I was shaking a little bit because you just don’t know where you’re going to get drafted. There were just so many emotions of gratitude, but also knowing this is just the beginning. You’re at the top of your college career and now it’s time to start all over at the bottom and work your way up. It’s just a special day where everything is about you, everything is positive and there’s just so much excitement.

HOV: What are some lessons you learned from last season at USC that you can carry with you to the W?

KI: The biggest lesson I learned last season was just how to be adaptable. Things aren’t always going to go your way, and that’s truly translated to the WNBA because you have to be adaptable. It’s kind of a cutthroat business so you always have to stay ready. My time at USC really prepared me for that and just being ready to do whatever my team needs. If they need me to be a scorer, I’ll be a scorer, if they need me to rebound, if I need to run the floor, I’ll do that. Especially defensively, when I was at USC, I had to guard outside of my comfort zone, I had to guard on the perimeter, which was huge for me, I’d never done that before in my life and USC did a great job of getting me ready defensively. Sometimes now, I’m matched up against a guard and I know I can hold my own.

HOV: You come from a really tight knit family. How have they been able to continue to support you and what does that relationship with your family mean?

KI: I’m not going to lie, I was super nervous on Draft Night, because I’ve only ever lived in California, so moving to D.C. was a big, big change for me. Honestly though, it’s been great so far. I call this my ‘real, adult life’ now, and it’s been nice to step away from what I’m familiar with, as I’m still trying to learn who I am and grow as a person. I still talk to my family every single day, I FaceTime them, they fly out to D.C. to watch some games, when I’m on the West Coast they come to every single game. The biggest adjustment is just the time difference. Three hours is a lot! Besides that it’s been a smooth transition.

HOV: What’s been your favorite thing about Washington D.C. so far?

KI: I’ve been here for about two and a half months, but I really haven’t been here that much because we’re on the road so much! The best thing truly is the people. When I landed, people barely knew who I was, and they’re saying, ‘Congratulations, you’re one of our rookies!’ in the airport! The amount of fans and support that we get at games has been incredible. They support women’s sports, they support the Mystics and even some of our other pro teams have come out to support our games. The people in D.C. have truly made the experience so amazing so far. Another thing that I need to indulge in for myself, I’ve heard there’s so much great food in D.C. so I need to get into that a little bit more. 

HOV: Your Nigerian heritage is really important to you. Tell us why it’s so important to you for that piece of you to be such a visible part of your identity and your brand and what you want people to know about that aspect of who you are?

KI: Being Nigerian is huge for me. It’s my culture, it’s a big part of who I am. Although I was born in the U.S., my parents have made sure that we were really involved with the culture, going back to Nigeria every single year, so I’ve always felt very tapped in. 

Being on one of the brightest stages of my life, I just want to showcase my culture. Nigeria is a country that does get a lot of publicity, but I am just amplifying it even more. There’s so many young Nigerian hoopers and young Nigerians that I’m an inspiration to and I just want to showcase that being Nigerian is cool. 

Growing up it wasn’t always super cool to rep your culture. There are so many facets to me: I play basketball, I’m Nigerian, I studied business, and it’s just important to me to show that you can be proud of all of that, be proud of where you’re from, where your family is from - I definitely am, and continuing to do that on the biggest stage of my life is really important to me.