West African roots, strong work ethic drive Washington Mystics rookie Sonia Citron

With Washington Mystics guard Sonia Citron, there’s more than meets the eye.

The rookie guard has made waves this WNBA season for her versatile play, which has garnered the admiration of both her peers and fans and earned her a coveted spot in July’s WNBA All-Star Game.

Citron’s presence on the floor for Washington could be described as almost stoic. She’s praised for her level-headed temperament and steadying nature. Her teammates have labeled her a “silent assassin.” Her playing style is smooth and disciplined.

Behind the tranquil on-court persona, which has shadowed Citron’s perception off the floor, lay depths that have played a major role in Citron’s development into the burgeoning star she is today – from an upbringing steeped in West African culture to the relentless work ethic driving her to be a great pro.

“A lot of people see how I play and how I act, and they think I’m just very one tone,” Citron said. “While I am cool, calm and collected, and just a very chill person, I’m more than that.”

If ever Citron finds herself in a state of unbalance, maybe due to having a bad game or enduring a tough day, she often turns to music to recalibrate. There’s a certain class of music, Cape Verdean, that when played transports Citron to her family’s New York state home – specifically moments shared with her grandmother in the living room or kitchen.

“It brings me peace,” Citron said. ”It calms me down.”

As Citron begins to put roots down with the Mystics in Washington, D.C., off the court, she’s hoping to delve deeper into her familial roots – roots that trace back to West Africa.

Citron’s grandparents on her mother’s side of the family were both born in Cape Verde. She believes her great-grandparents also may be Cape Verdean, though that has yet to be confirmed. The exact history of her lineage, Citron said, is still a bit “splotchy.”

Citron’s grandparents had 13 children, one of whom is Citron’s mother, Yolanda Citron. When Yolanda was young, her parents moved the family to Senegal, where she grew up. Their home in Senegal contained a chicken farm and two mango trees.

Sonia Citron said her mother would always talk about listening to Cape Verdean music as a child on her father’s (Citron’s grandfather’s) record player, and dancing to said music was a must.

Yolanda Citron emigrated to the United States in her mid-20s. Other members of her family moved to France while some still remain in Senegal.

“They’re like a mix of like Black and Portuguese,” Sonia Citron said. “A big part of our culture is Senegalese because that’s where they grew up.”

The Mystics rookie’s upbringing was influenced by both Cape Verdean and Senegalese cultures.

She and her brother, Will, grew up eating Senegalese food cooked by their mother. Citron’s favorite dishes are some of the most popular in Senegalese cuisine, including thiébou yapp (“basically rice and lamb,” she said), maafe (a peanut stew made with meat and rice) and yassa (a braised chicken dish). Citron’s family has visited her a bunch during her rookie season, with her mother often coming packed with homemade food.

Citron’s mother also passed down her love of Cape Verdean music and dancing to her children. A Cape Verdean playlist was often kept in rotation for Sonia’s grandmother, who lived with the Citron family.

“We would have a radio always playing,” Citron said. “Cape Verdean music is definitely more soothing. Not all of it, but the ones [my grandma] liked were soothing. More chill.”

Every holiday, Citron said her mother’s family, including “tons” of cousins, would come together for parties that were complete with food, dancing and music blasting.

“That’s what grew my love for music,” said Citron, who added her favorite genre is Afrobeats. Some of her favorite artists are Omah Lay, Wizkid and Burna Boy.

“I think it’s something a lot of people do not know because you can’t tell by just looking at me, but I do have a lot of culture, a lot of background, and it has definitely shaped who I am,” Citron said.

She recently has taken a deeper interest in tracing her family history, enlisting her mother to help further uncover her lineage.

“I’ve been texting with my mom and I’m like, ‘Let’s really try and find out more. I feel like it’s something that you should know about yourself – know about our family,’” she said.

When she has a break from basketball, Citron hopes to visit both Senegal and Cape Verde for the first time. It also would be her mother’s first trip back to Senegal since she moved to the United States.

“It’s going to happen. She’s told me all about her upbringing and everything, but to really see it and learn more about the culture I think would be amazing,” Citron said. “I love our culture. That’s definitely a bucket list trip.”

Aboard an SUV on the afternoon of All-Star Friday in downtown Indianapolis, Citron and her team made their way to the first of several public appearances: a stop at a Nike 3-on-3 activation built across the street from Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

As the SUV rolled to a stop at an intersection, Citron began to fidget with her fingers. After a moment, she turned to her boyfriend, NFL player Marist Liufau, seated beside her and asked, “What do you think about this?” as she held her hand out.

Citron had adapted the “three-point celly,” commonly used by today’s players, into a four. The WNBA All-Star Game, which Citron would be playing in for her first time the following day, would include a 4-point shot.

There was just one problem: Citron couldn’t extend her ring finger to complete the four. The difficulty joyously irked Citron, to Liufau’s amusement. Citron would later solicit his advice hours later on the same topic.

The exchange was a brief window into Citron’s excitement as her first All-Star Weekend unfolded. Just four months ago, and 150 miles north in South Bend, Indiana, Citron had wrapped up a standout collegiate career at Notre Dame, crafting a resume that led to her becoming the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA draft.

It didn’t take long for Citron to receive a memorable welcome to the WNBA. As Citron defensively tracked Atlanta Dream guard Allisha Gray in a preseason game on May 7, she was derailed by a screen set by Dream center Brittney Griner, who stands 6-foot-9. The pick sent Citron, 6-foot-1, flying.

“It took me a couple seconds [to get up],” Citron said. “I had to gather myself.”

Citron has logged heavy minutes as a rookie for a Mystics team in the process of a rebuild. Her 32.7 minutes per game ranks seventh in the WNBA. The extensive playing time has allowed her to both play and push through rookie roadblocks.

For Citron, one of those roadblocks has been adjusting to the physicality in the WNBA. Mystics head coach Sydney Johnson said Citron’s experience has been tenfold.

“She’s been manhandled all season long. Pulled, grabbed and held,” Johnson said. “Freedom of movement doesn’t really exist for Sonia.”

Despite the learning curve, Citron has still managed to play at an All-Star level. Johnson said Citron has worked hard to adapt to the game’s physicality. She has worked to set up countermoves and has learned to use ball screens more intentionally and purposefully. Johnson also has emphasized to Citron that, as a top performer, she should be expecting this level of physicality and attention at all times.

“It’s not a one-off,” Johnson said. “Still room to grow, but she’s responded extremely well to the coaching and experience of dealing with stuff like that.”

As a whole, Johnson has been overwhelmingly impressed by Citron’s contributions in Year 1. His praise of Citron fell primarily on the intangibles she brings.

“It’s very rare when you have first-year players who are not only talented but check all the boxes in terms of level of professionalism, coachability, and a desire to be great,” said Johnson, who is in his first year as a WNBA head coach. “When you see that, as a coach, you sprint to the gym every day to work with them. I’m not saying she’s the rah-rah person of the team or stuff like that, but I think she inspires our coaches and our players.”

Citron is averaging 14.3 points, 2.2 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.1 steals for the Mystics this season. She’s shooting 45.8% from the field and 37.4% from three. On Tuesday against the Chicago Sky, Citron scored a career-high 28 points (10-of-15, 5-of-6 from 3-point range.)

She’s on pace to have the highest scoring average for a Mystics rookie since Chamique Holdsclaw in 1999 (16.9 ppg).

“Sonia is just very consistent. She’s never too high or too low. I think she’s someone we can always count on on our team,” fellow Mystics rookie All-Star Kiki Iriafen said.

At an All-Star Weekend basketball clinic in the Old Northside neighborhood of Indianapolis, Citron shared her journey in basketball in front of about 30 area kids.

Seated at center court of the bricklaid gym, Citron offered some parting advice for participants — remember your why, the values and beliefs that drive you.

Citron has needed the reminder during her rookie season. The surging growth of the WNBA has brought more fans and attention to arenas around the league. That growth also has carried its share of detractors armed with negative takes and opinions.

“I think it’s definitely something that I struggle with,” Citron said. “Sometimes just remembering, like, it’s OK. You know, like, you had a bad game – everybody has a bad game. Sometimes just give yourself grace, like, you’re still a rookie and sometimes you forget that.”

On the court, Citron is her harshest critic, always holding herself accountable for shortcomings, especially those avoidable. The high standard she has set for herself and her ability to meet that standard is what, in part, got her to where she is today.

Citron even approaches her hobbies with the same fervor as she does basketball – with a desire to master and perfect. Cooking, which Liufau said Citron began in college but have started to delve into deeper since, is no exception.

“She hates messing up, and with cooking, it’s the same thing,” Liufau said. “She made pasta one time and the sauce was a little off. It was fine with me, but she just wanted to completely redo it. We ended up eating it anyway, and it was fine.”

For Liufau, a linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys, to see Citron excel so quickly in the WNBA has been rewarding, yes, but unsurprising. The pair had long discussed moments like these.

“She’s really just scratching the surface,” Liufau said. “Sonia puts in a lot of work behind the scenes. For me to be able to support her in her profession, it means the world to me.”

Prior to the start of her WNBA career, Citron made a commitment to herself to embrace everything that came her way during her rookie season. That included saying yes to opportunities that fall out of her comfort zone, like the 3-point contest. She is only the third rookie competitor in the contest’s history, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

“Just embracing that and having fun with it,” Citron said. “Having joy through it all.”

In a short period of time, Citron has garnered the respect of her veteran peers around the league. New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu, who won this year’s 3-point contest, gave half of her winnings to Citron, crediting the rookie for stepping up.

“I’ve always been a big fan of Soni’s,” four-time Las Vegas Aces All-Star Jackie Young said. “I always thought that people were sleeping on her.”

The admiration is something Citron didn’t think would happen so quickly, and it is still a bit disorienting. She has looked up to many of her fellow All-Stars for years.

“I’m still trying to prove myself, still trying to work on my game, and I’ll continue to do that, but it definitely means a lot because I know that they know a lot,” she said.

A key to Citron’s success, according to both Liufau and Johnson, is her deep sense of humility. Liufau said it’s what powers Citron to never be satisfied with her on-court progress. Johnson said though Citron can definitively call herself one of the best players in the league, she doesn’t see herself that way.

“She has a humility about her that is not always the case with a player that is that talented,” Johnson said. “We look forward to developing that in her of just, not only do I belong, I might actually be one of the best players out here on the floor no matter who else is out there.”

For some, earning the title of All-Star as a rookie could lead to a re-evaluation of what is possible during a playing career. Despite her feeling at times a sense of disbelief, Citron said becoming an All-Star was always the bar. As far as she is concerned, the weekend didn’t prove that she was ahead of schedule but instead right on time.

“I’ve always believed in myself, more so now maybe than earlier,” Citron said. “There’s still a lot for me to get better at. There’s still a lot for me to do. … I’m blessed and thankful for it, but the sky is still the limit. That was always the case.”