WNBA All-Star Chiney Ogwumike hypes up Kiki Iriafen’s dance in custom USC outfit
Kiki Iriafen has taken on the role of being the face of the USC Trojans quite easily, despite transferring a few months ago. The forward repped the latest custom merch from the Trojans on her Instagram on Monday.
"Sneak Peek 👀✌️," she wrote.
Former Stanford power forward and two-time WNBA All-Star Chiney Ogwumike reacted to the video in the comments section, writing:
"baller x baddieeeeee 🔥"
Kiki Iriafen played three seasons at Stanford before transferring to USC for her senior year. Explaining the reason behind her move back to her hometown, the Los Angeles native said:
"It definitely wasn't an easy decision. It's something that I went back and forth on after our last game," Iriafen said. "I think a big fact was, yes, I got my degree, but I'm the oldest child, I wanna be able to come home, play in front of my family.
"I'm from Los Angeles, so just my whole village that helped me get to where I'm at, for them to be able to come and see me play, that's super huge. With the athlete part, I'm preparing myself to become a pro so that I can have a seamless transition to the W[NBA] and I felt like USC had the tools in place."
KiKi Iriafen's on-court chemistry with JuJu Watkins shines as USC pursues championship goals
The USC Trojans have lost just one game against Notre Dame and are on a four-game winning streak. Kiki Iriafen is averaging 18.2 points and 9.1 rebounds, leading the Trojans in the race to their first national championship since 1984.
In addition to her stellar performances, Iriafen is also drawing attention to her on-court chemistry with sophomore guard JuJu Watkins.
"I’ve been actually incredibly impressed with how fast their chemistry has developed," coach Lindsay Gottlieb said during Big Ten media day. "Kiki’s a pro, she’s gonna be a pro, but it’s good for her, I think, to play with a guard who goes off script, who’s creative. That’s not necessarily what she’s done before."
While the looming WNBA draft could cause Kiki Iriafen to stack her stat sheet, the forward is willing to be a teammate first, working with Gottlieb.
“I feel like I bring defense and energy, but I’m really just whatever Coach G wants me to do, kind of filing in the missing piece,” Iriafen said. “That’s defensively and offensively, being a good teammate."
The USC Trojans face Fresno State next on Tuesday.
Also read: “Love you forever”: USC’s Kiki Iriafen posts sweet message for former teammate’s special day