As WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert called USC Trojans‘ Kiki Iriafen‘s name as the fourth overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft by the Washington Mystics, a look at her table showed that there was no mistaking her cultural identity: her entire family were all fitted out in traditional Nigerian attire.
And then there was Iriafen herself.
Clad in a stunning gold outfit, she was transformed from Kiki into Okikiola, a name that means ‘fame that brings prosperity or wealth,’ a fitting name for the new star. Draped in culture, stitched with pride, and finished with the unmistakable flair of Naija, Iriafen was stepping into a legacy.
“I wanted to look good, I wanted to feel good,” she said in her post-Draft interview. “This dress was designed by Nigerian designer Nneka Alexander and I just wanted to show off my culture on this big stage.”
Alexander, who also previously worked with fellow Nigerian-American WNBA star Chiney Ogwumike, made a gown with intricate detailing and a silhouette fit for a queen. Iriafen’s look wasn’t just fashion. It was a declaration. A declaration of her deep connections to her Nigerian roots.
Not only did she show it, the work that went into the dress encapsulated just how intentional she was about making sure there was no mistaking what her roots are, and how she plans to represent that culture in her WNBA career.
“It’s been a few months in the making, but I knew I really wanted my Nigerian culture incorporated in some way,” Iriafen told Women’s Wear Daily before the draft.
“We’ve been collaborating, going back and forth and just figuring out what the perfect Kiki dress would be. Something that’s showstopping, but also super true to me.”
On embracing her roots, Iriafen added: “Being Nigerian, if you ask any Nigerian, is kind of like a personality trait,. We are super proud and very confident.
“We have this phrase, ‘Naija no dey carry last’. That just means that in everything you do, you strive for excellence. If someone can do it, you do it even better. That’s something that I live my life by.”
That drive for excellence is embodied in her message to her future self for when she makes her WNBA debut night: “You belong here. Be confident. Stay confident. The journey is not linear – trust the process.”
Which is why it is somewhat apropos that she is heading to Washington, which has one of the highest population of Nigerian immigrants in the USA. In DC, she will find a large and vibrant Nigerian community ready to welcome her with open arms — and maybe jollof rice, and Iriafen is equally thrilled: “I’m just excited for DC, there’s a great Nigerian population over there so I can’t wait to get over there.”
From these early post Draft interviews, it is clear that Kiki is not just going to the WNBA as a basketball player. She is going with the full weight and pride of her Nigerian heritage, and the hopes of countless young girls who look like her and share her culture, riding on her shoulders.
In the history of the WNBA Draft, only four other players of Nigerian origin have been drafted higher than Iriafen. Liz Cambage [who played internationally for Australia] at number two overall in 2011, Nneka Ogwumike first overall pick in 2012, Chiney Ogwumike first overall pick in 2014 and Evelyn Akhator, third overall pick in 2017. Iriafen is tied for fourth overall pick with Elizabeth Williams (2015).
With the weight of those behind her in mind, for Iriafen, this moment was about more than just her. It was about every little Black girl watching from home, every Nigerian girl chasing a dream, wondering if this life is really possible.
“You can do it,” she said. “If I can do it, you can do it, but even better. I think it’s great seeing representation and I’m doing it for the Nigerian girls, little Black girls, the girls in LA. In my position, I’m just trying to make the league, the world, a better place for the girls coming up behind me and who also look like me.”
And while she is noncommittal on whether she’ll suit up for Nigeria’s D’Tigress, she is not closing the door to the possibility: “In terms of the Olympics, I don’t know yet. We’ll see what happens.”
But that is not for the now.
From California to the capital, from Stanford to the W via USC, from small girl, big God to big woman, big stage – Okikiola Iriafen’s story is only just beginning. But make no mistake, this first chapter is already a powerful, gauntlet-thrown one.
And for the Nigerian community – both at home and in the diaspora – her success is yet another reminder that yes, Naija no dey carry last.
As a popular Nigerian expression, equal parts mantra and mindset, that translates roughly to, ‘Nigeria never comes last’, it is as much a cultural badge of honour as it is a call to greatness. And on her historic Draft night, it summed up everything about Iriafen and what she had been working toward.
“This opportunity is such a blessing. There’s truly no words to describe how I’m feeling right now. I think about being confident, being unapologetically yourself and staying authentic.”