Mystics' Sonia Citron reveals WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert's major fumble spoiling her All-Star surprise: "That's how I found out"

Washington Mystics rookie Sonia Citron, on Lisa Leslie’s Between the Lines podcast on Thursday, talked about her All-Star selection. She's one of three rookies who have been selected for the 2025 All-Star game on July 19, with Kiki Iriafen and the Dallas Wings' Paige Bueckers being the others.

Making the All-Star team was undoubtedly wonderful news for the No. 3 pick, but she didn’t learn about it in the best way possible. Speaking to Leslie on Thursday, Citron said that she learnt about her All-Star selection from Gabby Williams, as WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert had messed up their numbers.

“You know how usually Cathy calls you, and she lets you know, that was not the case for me.” Citron said. “... I saw that Gabby Williams had followed and DMed me. … I looked at her DM, and it was a screenshot of a voicemail, from Cathy to her.

“In the DM, she was like, 'Hey, Cathy called me thinking that this number was your number, I hope this isn’t how you found out. But, congrats!'" ... After the facts, I talked to my GM and was like, 'Do you know what's going on? Is this true?' And that's when she told me, 'yes it's true, congrats' and all that. So, that's how I found out."

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Sonia Citron said that she spoke to Williams a few hours before taking on the Minnesota Lynx on Thursday and was distracted during the game because of their conversation.

The Mystics lost to the Lynx, 92-75. Citron finished with seven points and four rebounds and has struggled over the last three games, shooting 10-28.

Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen set to feature on Team Caitlin Clark at 2025 All-Star Game

Sonia Citron and fellow Mystics rookie Kiki Iriafen will be on the same team for the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game.

Citron and Iriafen were drafted to Caitlin Clark’s team on Tuesday. Clark picked the rookie guard with the seventh pick before selecting the forward with the eighth pick.

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Kiki Iriafen has also been stellar for Washington, recording 12.2 points and 8.4 rebounds while shooting 45.9%. She was ranked the eighth-best forward in the league, as per both fan and player votes. The only other rookie in this year’s game, Paige Bueckers, was drafted to Napheesa Collier’s team.

Citron and Co. will return to the court to take on the Seattle Storm on Sunday and the LA Sparks on Tuesday ahead of the All-Star Game.

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