Is Kiki Iriafen playing today vs. Indiana Fever? Exploring Mystics rookie's status for preseason showdown (May 3)

Washington Mystics rookie Kiki Iriafen is set to make her preseason debut against the Indiana Fever on Satrurday. The Mystics selected Iriafen with the fourth pick of the 2025 WNBA Draft. She comes into the league following four solid years of college basketball.

The 22-year-old made 139 appearances for Stanford and USC, recording 12.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game, shooting 52.5% from the field. In her senior year with USC, Iriafen recorded 18.0 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists. She led USC to the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament, where Paige Bueckers and the Huskies knocked them out.

All eyes will be on Iriafen on Saturday, as the Indiana Fever are set to play their first preseason game of 2025. The 22-year-old will have quite the opponents on her debut, as she takes on Caitlin Clark and Co. In college, Iriafen dropped 41 points in a thrilling overtime win over Clark's Iowa State in March 2024.

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“Deal with adversity”: Kiki Iriafen on how USC has helped her prepare for the WNBA

Speaking to reporters after team practice on May 1, Mystics rookie Kiki Iriafen shed light on how her experience at USC has prepared her for the WNBA.

“I think I’ve learned how to just deal with adversity, I know rookie year is not gonna be easy. Playing with some of the best players in the world,” Iriafen said.

“My time at USC has taught me how to persevere through things. Also, how to make an impact. Like, if I’m not just scoring, how can I make an impact, defensively, offensively?”

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Iriafen is one of the most versatile players in the 2025 draft class. Her proficiency on both ends of the floor should help her make quite an impact with the Washington Mystics, but things will largely depend on how well she transitions to the WNBA.

When speaking about the differences between the professional game and the college level, the 22-year-old pointed to how skilled everyone is in the league:

"Everybody's fast. ... everybody's good. It's just competitive, every competitive every single day, which I think is the best part truly for me."

Kiki Iriafen is eager to make a difference and seems to be thriving in the league's competitive environment. She will debut against the Fever on Saturday at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

About the author

Sameer is an esports and gaming journalist at Sportskeeda who covers a diverse range of topics. He is currently pursuing a BSc degree from BITS, but his love for video games pushed him to pursue a gaming journalism career. He relies on diligent research and fact-checking to deliver top-notch content. He has previously worked in the hospitality sector with the Oberoi Group.

Sameer’s gaming journey began with Rockstar Games’ GTA franchise, specifically
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories. He strongly prefers multiplayer games, with FPS being his favorite genre, and has devoted 6K+ hours to CS:GO! However, he also dabbles in open-world, story-based games from time to time. Solo RPGs like Horizon Forbidden West hold a soft spot in his heart, and he would readily drop in it given a Jumanji-type scenario.

Sameer makes sure to follow Counter-Strike and Valorant esports tournaments, as he believes that watching a game being played at the highest level can be highly educational. He derives inspiration from Tarik's meteoric rise to become one of the biggest FPS streamers in the world following the release of Valorant.

Outside of work, you can find Sameer playing football or cheering for FC Barcelona. He also likes to read and write poetry.

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Edited by Bhargav