Washington Mystics rookie Kiki Iriafen has rewritten the franchise record books, claiming the all-time rookie mark for most rebounds in a single season.
Iriafen created the record during the Mystics’ 80-76 loss to the Minnesota Lynx on Friday night (Saturday morning Nigerian time) at the Target Center.
The 21-year-old forward pulled down her 247th rebound of the 2025 campaign, edging past the 246 set by WNBA icon Chamique Holdsclaw in 1999 — a record that had stood untouched for more than two decades. Remarkably, Iriafen achieved the feat in fewer games, underlining her dominance on the glass in what has already been an All-Star rookie season.
Selected fourth overall in the 2025 WNBA Draft, Iriafen quickly became Washington’s most dependable rebounder. Earlier in the year, she broke Holdsclaw’s rookie double-double record with seven before the midway point of the season.
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She’s also the fastest Mystics rookie to reach 100 points and 80 rebounds, hitting the milestone in just eight games.
Her rookie averages, roughly 12.1 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, tell only part of the story. Iriafen has been a steady force during one of the most turbulent periods in Mystics’ history. Just before the trade deadline, the team dealt All-Star guard Brittney Sykes and young forward Aaliyah Edwards in consecutive days, thrusting more responsibility on Iriafen and fellow rookie Sonia Citron.
“I think this is kind of my welcome to the W moment,” she told The Washington Post. “It’s tough losing teammates who mean so much to you, but this team has grit, and we’re going to figure it out.”
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