Who Is Kiki Iriafen? Meet USC Trojans’ Newest 6’3 Prodigy Set to Line Up With JuJu Watkins

After spending three seasons at Stanford, Kiki Iriafen decided to take her talent to USC. Gearing up for her senior season alongside JuJu Watkins, Iriafen is making efforts count as she is confident to pursue this upcoming collegiate season, leaving behind her budding legacy at Stanford. “We are disappointed … but if that’s a choice that she feels like she has to make, we respect it. She told me that she’s made the decision to enter the portal for personal, family reasons,” said Kate Paye, Stanford’s women’s basketball coach, while she reasoned Iriafen’s move.

On the other hand, she was welcomed with open arms by the USC head coach Lindasy Gottlieb, who considered Iriafen as an already established star in women’s college basketball. As a result, she can play a pivotal role in carrying USC to the highest level before she moves on to become a professional basketball athlete. So, let’s explore who Kiki Iriafen is and what makes her a great baller who is headed toward a fierce senior year at USC.

Meet Okikiola aka Kiki Iriafen

Born in LA, California, Kiki is a Nigerian American native and the oldest child of Yemi and Harrison Iriafen. Growing up, basketball wasn’t really on her radar. ‘A men’s sport,’ she had considered it. But as fate would have it, Iriafen’s height would just lead her to the unexpected. “it’s like an outlet,” she admits now about the sport.

The start of it all was at Harvard-Westlake, Studio City, California where she played 121 games across 4 years of varsity basketball. In her freshman year, she averaged a team-high 17 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. 2454 points, 1655 rebounds by the end of her high school run, and Iriafen had tens of accolades to her name. 2020 Division I John Wooden Award winner, 2x Mission League MVP, and 2021 McDonald’s All-American to name a few. So no surprise then that she was rated a 5-star recruit and named one of the best 20 players in the country by ESPN HoopGurlz.

She naturally became one of the most sought-after high school athletes, even catching the eyes of UConn coach Geno Auriemma. But on August 7, 2020, she committed to Stanford over offers from other programs like Baylor, UCLA, UConn, and Notre Dame. “I know I want to study engineering at Stanford,” she had said; always being the one interested in academics.

A year later, she made her college basketball debut against Morgan State, making 4-of-5 from the free throw line. Then by the season’s end, she she averaged 4.2 points and 2.2 rebounds per game, touching season highs in different games.

For instance, she made three steals against Portland, 13 points against Washington State in the Pac-12 opener, and two assists against Oregon State in the pac-12 Tournament. Played a key role in carrying the Cardinal in the post-season play, where she blocked two shots against Maryland in Sweet 16 of the 2021-22 NCAA Tournament.

In the next two seasons, Iriafen grew into one of Cardinal’s key players.

When the rising star grabbed everyone’s attention

As a sophomore, Iriafen played all 35 games, while starting 27 out of those. A huge step up after coming off the bench for 33 games in the previous year. Making the most eventually, she averaged 6.7 points and 3.8 rebounds per game, ranking 4th in scoring and 3rd in rebounding on the Cardinal roster as a sophomore.

She would record 9 double-digit score games, rank third in shooting with 53.1%, and post season-high 16-point games thrice. But her breakout year would only arrive in 2023-24 as a junior.

The Los Angeles native averaged a stellar 19.4 points and 11 rebounds to be named the Most Improved Player in the Pac-12 Conference. “[My game] is 90% mental, 10% physical. I know what I can do. I do it in practice all the time. I can get in my head sometimes, which is what I worked on this summer,” she had said during the season. Well, we saw the results.

The Stanford Daily described her as a lethal combination of face-up and post-up skills, making her nearly impossible to defend. Her consistent over 50% record in shooting from the field would speak of it. Head coach Tara VanDerveer was proud of the talent.

“The sky’s the limit… we just want her to keep it going,” she had said as Iriafen adorned accolades like 3x Pac-12 Champion, the 2022 Pac-12 Tournament champion, and the 2024 Katrina McClain Award among others. But before the Program could savor it all, the 6’ft 3 forward entered the transfer portal. And in April, it was officially announced she would be strengthening the USC Trojans with her presence, alongside standout JuJu Watkins.

She is also eligible for the 2025 WNBA, which is where she envisioned herself before joining Stanford. If not on basketball court, you can find the Cardinal star flaunting her fashion game. Even a runway sometime in the future if the circumstances permit the ‘supermodel’ aspirant. But for now, she is ready to “go all in and prepare to become a pro.”