"They've been doing their thing": Sue Bird makes glowing remarks about Mystics rookies Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen's stellar run

WNBA legend Sue Bird had glowing remarks for Washington Mystics rookies, Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron on Friday. On her podcast "Bird's Eye View with Sue Bird," she talked about how both players have taken the league by storm since their debut for the Mystics.

"I'm going to start this week with some players, some rookies, specifically out of Washington" Bird said. "These Mystics rookies have been, they've been doing their thing. It makes me even more sad to not have Georgia Amoore out there, but you have to talk about Sonia Citron, you have to talk about Kiki Iriafen right now.

Bird pointed out how Citron didn't get the most hype as a college player but has proved her doubters wrong in professional basketball. She said:

"Sonia, she's somebody that was highly regarded coming out of college for sure, but played on a Notre Dame team where she was essentially the third option. So that meant the third hype, right? She was only getting the third amount of hype, and right now, she's averaging 17 points on 65% shooting, 40 from three. But what I've seen is really just how she's been playing; she kind of just fits in."

Sue Bird also praised Iriafen for putting in stellar performances of her own in the league as well.

"So, it's been fun to see her adjust to the WNBA and the same thing for Kiki," Bird said. "She's averaging 15 and a half points, nine rebounds, shooting 55%, already got a double-double. And I bring these two up because I've always wondered and thought about the college game, and if it was a reliable evaluator for translation into the WNBA."

Since being drafted as the third and fourth picks in the 2025 draft, Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen have played in all four games for the Mystics.

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Kiki Iriafen opened up about the support given to her by veteran Mystics guard

After Friday's defeat to the Las Vegas Aces, Kiki Iraifen opened up about the support from veteran guard Brittney Sykes. During the postgame press conference, she was asked what Slim (Sykes' nickname) said to her during their opening games.

"She's just telling me I'm here for a reason," Iriafen said. "Like I was picked by the Mystics, you know, I deserve to be at this stage, and I'm capable of playing against the best of the best. So, to not really second-guess myself and kind of just be confident when I'm playing out there."

Iriafen has posted a double-double in three consecutive games, becoming the first rookie in franchise history to accomplish that feat. Now, she will look to build on it.