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Is Kiki Iriafen eligible for the 2024 WNBA Draft?

The development of Kiki Iriafen has been phenomenal to watch, leading Stanford deep into the tournament. But when can we see her take her talents to the WNBA?

By Samara Elster

NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament - Second Round - Stanford
NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament - Second Round - Stanford / Thearon W. Henderson/GettyImages
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Going into Stanford, Kiki Iriafen was not a standout All-American. She was rated a four-star recruit and No. 19 overall in her class by ESPN. But now coach Tara VanDerveer and many others are blown away by the rapid development of the junior and her star turn in Women's March Madness.

To be eligible for the WNBA Draft, domestic draft entrants must be at least 22 years old during the year the draft takes place, have no remaining college eligibility, or renounce any future college eligibility.

That means that Iriafen is not eligible for the 2024 WNBA Draft. However, many early mock drafts project her to be a first-round pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft.

Kiki Iriafen's tournament takeover for Stanford

In the Cardinals' first-round blowout win against Norfolk State, Iriafen put up 17 points and 9 rebounds, reaching 1,000 career points.

During the second-round overtime thriller against Iowa State, Kiki was hitting midrange jumpers from every possible spot and was automatic. Iriafen shot 16-for-30 and scored a career-high 41 points to secure the Cardinals' spot in the Sweet 16.

She also crashed the boards with 16 total rebounds on the night. After Cyclones center Audi Crooks dropped 40 points in their opening round game, Iriafen held her to 10 points and eight rebounds while shooting 3-of-21 from the field.

Iriafen played just 6.5 minutes per game as a freshman and 12.1 minutes per game as a sophomore. But this season, as a junior, she has a significant increase in playing time, going up to 27.9 minutes per game.

She has taken full advantage of this increase and has scored 19.2 points and 11.1 rebounds per game. The improvement has been so notable that she was on the All-American Honorable Mention list.

With more of the tournament in store and another season left at Stanford, this is just the beginning of what we've seen from Iriafen.

"She's a warrior out there," VanDerveer said after the Iowa State game, per ESPN. "She gave an All-American performance out there tonight."

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