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The WNBA has started its preseason games, and the contest between the Washington Mystics and Indiana Fever had a heated moment. On Saturday, Washington’s fourth overall pick from the 2025 draft Kiki Iriafen got into it with Sophie Cunningham. The two went after the rebound, and escalated after a physical play from the rookie.
Iriafen threw the seven-year veteran to the ground after Cunningham secured the board with her two hands. The Fever guard didn’t like how she was fouled and confronted the rookie forward as soon as she was on her feet. The officials ruled a flagrant 1 foul on the youngster.
Kiki Iriafen poses with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert after being selected with the number four overall pick to the Washington Mystics in the 2025 WNBA Draft at The Shed at Hudson Yards.Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Cunningham called her out and told her that she can’t play rough.
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“You don’t (expletive) do that. You don’t (expletive) do that,” the Fever guard said.
However, Iriafen wasn’t bothered and just smiled while it happened.
After her incident with Cunningham, her comments on the day she was drafted resurfaced on X. As she made her way on the orange carpet, Iriafen was asked to describe her game.
“Fierce,” Iriafen said. “I think I play very fiercely, I try my best to give everything that I can. I show a lot of emotion, very aggressive. I feel like fierce is all encompassing.”
The Mystics couldn’t win over the Fever and had a 79-74 loss in their preseason matchup. However, Iriafen has started to assert herself as a physical player ready to take on any challenge. Still, her outing for Washington needs more polishing as she ended the game with seven points and seven fouls on 28.6% shooting from the field.
Related: Fever’s Sophie Cunningham Sends Message to Caitlin Clark, Teammates After Confrontation vs. Mystics
