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.
(Image credit: Ben Rosser/Courtesy of Coach)
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.
(Image credit: Ben Rosser/Courtesy of Coach)
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.
It’s unique that you get to do it with so many of your teammates and your best friends. What has it been like to be able to go through this whole process with them?
It’s super special. We have the opportunity tonight to set a record for the number of players drafted from one school, so for UCLA to be able to do that and for us to share these moments together—these are some of my best friends, people who are going to be sisters for life—we’re just so excited to see each other walk across the stage and achieve our dreams.
(Image credit: Ben Rosser/Courtesy of Coach)
With March Madness and the draft and then training camp and the start of the season coming up, there’s a lot going on. What are you doing to mentally prepare while also trying to soak up a moment and actually experience it?
I’m just making sure that I’m really enjoying each thing that we get to do because winning a national championship is not something that happens often. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience, so I don’t want to rush over it. I don’t want to rush to the next thing but rather live in the present moment and enjoy the time with my teammates and my family.
(Image credit: Ben Rosser/Courtesy of Coach)
For tonight, can you tell me a bit about your look?
Tonight, I’m wearing a Coach set with a Coach jacket and bag. I feel like the jewelry really brings out the finishing touches with a lot of silver and black, which I really like. I think it all comes together really well.
How did you come up with the concept for the look, and are there any aspects of it that the naked eye wouldn’t notice?
The nails really finished the outfit really well. It’s a gray chrome set that matches my bag perfectly. There are a lot of sparkles, which provided a great pop for the outfit. And I think the fabrics are super pretty as well. They’re small details, but the fabric all across the skirt and top added something really nice.
(Image credit: Ben Rosser/Courtesy of Coach)
Do you have any early memories of Coach?
I wouldn’t say early, but right when I got to college, all of my teammates had Coach bags. That was like the big thing. When I got to campus, especially all the seniors and older girls, they were really rocking the Coach bags. That was something that was instilled in me right away.
How would you describe your relationship with style and fashion?
Style is a great outlet to show my personality, to have fun, to try different things, and it’s really cool to be able to put on a ‘fit before a game or when I’m going out and feel like I’m looking good outside of my uniform.
Do you have any plans for how you want to arrive in the tunnel in your rookie season?
I’m definitely excited to debut my first tunnel ‘fits. In college, we got to do a few of them, but the W provides an opportunity to do it every single time you have a game. I’m going to try some new things out and see how I feel. I’m really excited to get dressed up every opportunity I can.
