WNBA: Nigeria’s Iriafen heads to Mystics as Dallas Wings select Bueckers first overall

Nigeria’s Okikiola “Kiki” Iriafen on Monday was selected by the Washington Mystics with the fourth overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft held at The Shed in New York, Afrosport reports.

DMV KIKS

With the fourth overall pick in the @WNBA Draft, the @WashMystics select Kiki Iriafen pic.twitter.com/KLqu5V8IxI

— USC Women’s Basketball (@USCWBB) April 15, 2025

Iriafen, born to Nigerian parents Yemi and Harrison, started her college career with the Stanford Cardinals, where she caught the eye in her junior year, winning the Pac-12 Most Improved Player award, having averaged 19.4 points and 11.0 rebounds.

The 21-year-old forward switched to the University of Southern California (USC) in her senior year in college, teaming up with phenom Juju Watkins. Averaging 18 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game, while shooting 49% from the field and 81.1% on free throws, she and Watkins led the Trojans to a Big Ten regular season title and the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Meanwhile, University of Connecticut (UConn) star Paige Bueckers followed up her NCAA women’s basketball championship victory from last week with a first overall selection as the 23-year-old heads to the Dallas Wings.

Bueckers averaged 19.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 2.1 steals per game in her UConn career, shooting 53.1% from the field, 42.3% from three-point range, and 85% on free throws across 123 games.

She will team up with four-time WNBA All-Star Arike Ogunbowale and last season’s WNBA Most Improved Player  DiJonai Carrington in Dallas, with the Wings looking to make a return to the playoffs after missing out on the postseason in 2024.

With the 1st pick of the WNBA Draft, the @DallasWings select Paige Bueckers!

2025 #WNBADraft presented by @Statefarm LIVE on ESPN pic.twitter.com/hTx1T2Cnoi

— WNBA (@WNBA) April 14, 2025

Cameroon-born French teenager Dominique Malonga was selected with the second overall pick by the Seattle Storm. The 19-year-old, who won a silver medal with the France women’s basketball team at the Paris 2024 Olympics, was born to Congolese and Cameroonian parents.

The Mystics also selected guard Sonia Citron from Notre Dame with the third overall pick, while the Golden State Valkyries, in their first WNBA Draft, selected Lithuanian guard Juste Jocyte with the fifth pick.

Georgia Amoore was selected by the Mystics with the sixth pick, LSU’s Aneesah Morrow heads to the Connecticut Sun with the seventh pick and will be joined by eighth-pick Saniya Rivers.

The Los Angeles Sparks picked Sarah Ashlee Barker with the ninth pick, while the Chicago Sky selected Ajsa Sivka and Hailey van Lith with the 10th and 11th picks.

Here’s the full list of the 2025 WNBA Draft

First round

1. Dallas Wings: Paige Bueckers
2. Seattle Storm (from Los Angeles):Dominique Malonga
3. Washington Mystics (from Chicago): Sonia Citron
4. Washington Mystics:Kiki Iriafen
5. Golden State Valkyries: Justé Jocytė
6. Washington Mystics (from Atlanta): Georgia Amoore
7. Connecticut Sun (from Phoenix):Aneesah Morrow
8. Connecticut Sun (from Indiana):Saniya Rivers
9. Los Angeles Sparks (from Seattle):Sarah Ashlee Barker
10. Chicago Sky (from Connecticut): Ajsa Sivka
11. Chicago Sky (from Minnesota):Hailey Van Lith
12. Dallas Wings (from New York):Aziaha James

Second round

13. Las Vegas Aces (from Los Angeles): Aaliyah Nye
14. Dallas Wings: Madison Scott
15. Minnesota Lynx (from Chicago):Anastasiia Olairi Kosu
16. Chicago Sky (from Washington):Maddy Westbeld
17. Golden State Valkyries: Shyanne Sellers
18. Atlanta Dream: Te-Hina Paopao
19. Indiana Fever (from Phoenix): Makayla Timpson
20. Indiana Fever: Bree Hall
21. Los Angeles Sparks (from Seattle): Sania Feagin
22. Chicago Sky (from Las Vegas): Aicha Coulibaly
23. Washington Mystics (from Connecticut):Lucy Olsen
24. Minnesota Lynx: Dalayah Daniels
25. Connecticut Sun (from New York): Rayah Marshall

Third round

26. Seattle Storm (from Los Angeles): Serena Sundell
27. Dallas Wings:JJ Quinerly
28. Los Angeles Sparks (from Chicago):Liatu King
29. Seattle Storm (from Washington):Madison Conner
30. Golden State Valkyries: Kaitlyn Chen
31. Dallas Wings (from Atlanta): Aaronette Vonleh
32. Washington Mystics (from Phoenix): Zaay Green
33. Indiana Fever:Yvonne Ejim
34. Seattle Storm: Jordan Hobbs
35. Las Vegas Aces:Harmoni Turner
36. Atlanta Dream (from Connecticut): Taylor Thierry
37. Minnesota Lynx: Aubrey Griffin
38. New York Liberty: Adja Kane