Get Ready With Kiki Rice for the 2026 WNBA Draft
Twenty-two-year-old San Francisco native Kiki Rice has had a busy few weeks. Throughout March and early April, she competed alongside her UCLA teammates and best friends in March Madness, leaving the tournament with the Bruins' first-ever NCAA women's basketball title and a very large trophy. Following the win—and three days of "partying"—she and the other graduating seniors on the squad as well as their head coach, Cori Close, flew to New York City for an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, and a few days later, they joined the hosts of Good Morning America. Finally, on Monday night, Rice was drafted into the WNBA, going sixth overall to the Toronto Tempo, the newest team to join the league.
"The last 10 days have been crazy busy," she tells Who What Wear from a makeup chair, where she got ready for the draft surrounded by her family, her boyfriend (Oklahoma City Thunder shooting guard Cason Wallace), and her team. "But this is something we've been looking forward to all season." Everything she and her teammates ever dreamed of came true: a national championship title and the chance to play in the WNBA, the pinnacle of women's basketball. All six draft-eligible players from UCLA's championship-winning team were drafted into the WNBA, and five were snatched up in the first round, a record-breaking feat.
On Kiki Rice: Custom Coach set, jacket, shoes, and Crystal Tabby Shoulder Bag ($695)
Given the momentous occasion in front of her, Rice had to dress for the moment and chose to work with Coach, the official handbag sponsor of the WNBA and the sponsor of the WNBA Draft Orange Carpet. The team at Coach—who also dressed Rice's teammates Lauren Betts and Gabriela Jaquez as well as the University of Connecticut's star shooter Azzi Fudd and University of South Carolina point guard Raven Johnson—worked with styling duo Dani Charlton and Emma Rubenstein to put together Rice's custom look that was inspired by Looks 30 and 31 from the brand's F/W 26 collection that debuted during New York Fashion Week. The ensemble featured a two-piece skirt set made of partly repurposed materials, a black bomber jacket, platform sandals, and the Crystal Tabby Shoulder Bag ($695). "When I went to college, all of my teammates had Coach bags," Rice recalls. "That was the big thing. It was instilled in me right away." Wearing Coach, let alone custom Coach, was a perfect bookend for her time at UCLA. "I think it all just came together really well," she says.
Keep scrolling to read our conversation with Rice and check out the details of her look for the 2026 WNBA Draft.
What have the last 10 days been like since you won the title?
The last 10 days have been crazy busy. We've been running around doing a lot of media, events, and fun celebrations. It's been really cool to celebrate with the team and enjoy this time together. We're also getting ready for the WNBA Draft, which is something we've been looking forward to all season.
