Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen have shared nearly everything in their young pro careers.
They’ve navigated the league as a twin set from the moment the Mystics selected Citron at No. 3 in the 2025 WNBA draft and Iriafen at No. 4: Wherever one goes, the other is never far behind, it seems.
They were named All-Stars together as rookies and then again together as sophomores. They were both left off the Team USA roster for the 2026 FIBA Basketball World Cup, then both called on as injury replacements, with both making the same unexpected flight to Berlin. They come as a package deal. While Citron’s and Iriafen’s jerseys are both popular at CareFirst Arena, so is a shirt that reads “Kitron,” their joint nickname: There are some fans who cannot bear to rep one without the other.
They have shared every bit of their experience with the Mystics, every win and loss and practice and bus ride over the last two seasons, and they shared a bit more on Wednesday. Citron and Iriafen lost their first playoff series. They walked into the news conference quiet and downcast but, as ever, together.
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“It doesn’t feel real,” Iriafen said. “I feel like I’m coming in tomorrow, we’re going to practice, we’re going to play again on Friday. But that’s not true.”
They had been on a magical ride this season. The Mystics were not expected to contend for a postseason spot this year. They instead became the youngest playoff team in the history of the WNBA. Washington set a franchise record for wins and cruised into the postseason as the No. 5 seed. And then, within the space of a few days, it was over.
In their best-of-three series against the Dream, they were plagued by turnovers and consistently struggled to find good looks. A veteran-heavy Atlanta team was simply too much for this young Washington roster. (Citron and Iriafen were among the nine players on the team making their playoff debuts in this series.) After losing by 15 in Game 1, they fell by double digits again in Game 2, with a final score of 93-75.
That should qualify as a soundly demoralizing series loss. (Washington trailed for the entirety of Game 2.) But as the Mystics spoke about their disappointment with the loss on Wednesday, they could not help but speak about their joy from this season and their pride in each other. There is more hope for this franchise now than has been the case in years.
“We have such an incredible group of girls,” Citron said. “Coach was talking about it in the locker room: We have something special here.”
They do. An early playoff exit does not change the fact that Washington’s rebuild is tracking far ahead of schedule. The franchise has a solid foundation with flexibility to keep adding. D.C.’s young core is arguably the best in the WNBA. And that starts with Citron and Iriafen.
While the Mystics struggled broadly in this series, Citron and Iriafen generally did not. The former led them in scoring in both games — becoming the youngest WNBA player ever to record back-to-back playoff games with 25 points or more — and proved that she could assert herself more when needed. The latter served as the engine of the Mystics’ aggressive rebounding effort and kept her poise through foul trouble in Game 1. Citron and Iriafen have been the steadiest, most cohesive performers for the Mystics over the past two years, and that held true into their first postseason appearance.
The series loss highlighted the need for some more experienced backcourt talent in D.C. (Of note: Should the Mystics decide to swing big this offseason, they will have plenty of cap space, and All-Star veteran guards like Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young and Kelsey Mitchell will all be available in free agency.) They will also have a lottery pick in a loaded draft. (That one is courtesy of a pick swap with the Chicago Sky — part of the same almost-literally-unbelievable deal that yielded the pick for Citron.) There is plenty of room for the franchise to add some talent around their promising core.
Yet that was not the focus Wednesday. No WNBA playoff team was as young as the 2026 Mystics, and none was as clearly fun, either. Washington coach Sydney Johnson has spent much of the season talking about how this group plays with joy. (This might easily be cheesy or eye-roll-inducing were it not so clearly sincere.) But in the early, raw hours of their offseason, they spoke more of love and sisterhood.
“We love each other,” Citron said after the loss. “We have fun, we never lose our joy, and I think that’s just super, super special. And I don’t think that’s everywhere. I’m just grateful.”
Her teammate said much the same.
“Truly, truly a lot of sisterhood with us this year,” Iriafen said. “That’s the thing I’m going to miss the most—just seeing my teammates every day. Yeah. I can’t believe our season’s over.”
And with that, they got up and left the room, together.
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