SAN FRANCISCO — The venue was different, but for Washington Mystics rookie forward Kiki Iriafen, Wednesday night’s game against the Golden State Valkyries was a homecoming. 

She played at Stanford for three seasons before transferring to USC.

Picked fourth in last month’s WNBA draft, Iriafen said the trip to the Bay Area was something she had circled on her calendar.  

“It’s been amazing,” she said. “I visited some of my friends at Stanford, so it’s nice to be at my home away from home.”  

The transition from college to the pros has been smooth so far for Iriafen. In Washington’s somewhat surprising 2-0 start heading into Wednesday’s game, she averaged 15.5 points and nine rebounds per game.  

On Wednesday, Iriafen recorded her second straight double-double as she totaled 10 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Washington fell to the Valkyries 76-74. 

Golden State Valkyries’ Kayla Thornton (5) drives past Washington Mystics’ Kiki Iriafen (44) as Golden State Valkyries’ Temi Fagbenle (14) gestures in the first quarter of a WNBA game at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, May 21, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group) 

“Her poise in the moment is exceptional,” Washington coach Sydney Johnson said after Wednesday’s loss. “I mean, we’re talking about a rookie three games into her career. So I just love everything about her, and you know, we’re expecting she’ll continue to build. … Her having a double-double when she’s probably not at her best, says a lot about her as a player.”

Iriafen’s production comes as no surprise to the legendary Tara VanDerveer, who coached Iriafen at Stanford from 2021 to 2024. Iriafen left for USC shortly after VanDerveer retired. 

“She has such great size and athleticism,” VanDerveer told the Bay Area News Group this week. “She always just wants to keep working on her fundamentals. She’s always getting better at becoming a consistent scorer inside and out.”

Iriafen spent her first two years at Stanford as a role player alongside stars Haley Jones and Cameron Brink. But a breakout season as a junior instantly made her a pro prospect. 

Stanford’s Kiki Iriafen #44 scores a basket against Norfolk State during the first round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif., Friday, March 22, 2024. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group

Iriafen upped her scoring average from 6.7 in her sophomore season to 19.4 as a junior. With Iriafen and Brink as starters in the frontcourt, Stanford went 30-6 before falling in the Sweet 16. 

In her final game at Maples Pavillion, Iriafen scored a career-high 41 points and grabbed 16 rebounds to lead Stanford past Iowa State in the Round of 32. 

VanDerveer retired after the Cardinal’s Sweet 16 exit, and Iriafen returned home to Los Angeles, transferring to USC to join college basketball superstar Juju Watkins.

She went on to earn all-Big Ten first-team honors this past season and helped lead the Trojans to an Elite Eight appearance. 

In her short time in the pros, Iriafen has already established herself as a no nonsense player. In a preseason game two weeks ago, she went viral after she threw Indiana Fever veteran Sophie Cunningham to the ground while fighting for a rebound. She drew a flagrant 1 foul for her actions, but showed she isn’t afraid to mix it up with seasoned pros. 

“Kiki never backs down and she never has,” VanDerveer said. “She’s a competitor and that’s what you love about her. She goes hard and she really puts her heart and soul into the game. You just love that as a coach.”

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Iriafen spent her entire life in California before getting drafted by Washington. In high school, she played for SoCal powerhouse Harvard-Westlake before heading north to Stanford. 

She said relocating to the East Coast  has helped her focus on basketball this season, but she’ll always cherish her time in the Bay Area . 

“I was coached by a legendary coach and nobody has been able to do what she’s done,” Iriafen said about VanDerveer. “I think just being at Stanford and being at USC, has really prepared me to play at this level. I’ve dealt with different coaching and playing styles. I’ve had to deal with a lot of adversity as well. So, I think both of them prepared me to excel at this level and I wouldn’t be who I am today without either of those institutions.”

Stanford Cardinal’s Kiki Iriafen (44) celebrates after their 87-81 overtime win over the Iowa State Cyclones during the second round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif., on Sunday, March 24, 2024. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group) 

Bay Area News Group sports reporter Joseph Dycus contributed to this story