Sonia Citron Takes The Capital

During her four years at Notre Dame, Sonia Citron — this year’s No. 3 WNBA overall draft pick — earned a reputation as “The Silent Assassin” for the calm, quiet air that belies her powerful performance: “If you hear anything,” the saying goes, “it’s already too late.”

The nickname sounds intense, but the reason for Citron’s even-keeled demeanor is anything but. “I don’t like to give people the power to disturb my peace,” the 21-year-old shooting guard tells Bustle over Zoom. “I feel like a lot of problems that we have in this world are small problems. Or at least I can talk for myself when I say — knock on wood — I’m very blessed.” It’s about not sweating the small stuff, on the court or off: “I think when you walk in gratitude, it changes a lot.”

Citron’s sense of gratitude — and the time she’s taken to reset with the Bible — has carried her through what’s been a whirlwind week and a half. It kicked into high gear the moment she heard her name called at the WNBA draft on April 14, and learned she would join the Mystics in Washington, D.C. Ten days later, she’s getting used to life in the capital.

“I didn’t realize how fast everything goes,” Citron says. “I knew that training camp [would] start soon, but it went even quicker than I thought. We met someone with Washington that night, and he was like, ‘So, are you ready to go to D.C. tomorrow?’ And I was laughing, thinking he was kidding. But he was being totally serious.” So, after a night of celebratory burgers at 7th Street with her brother, cousins, and boyfriend, Dallas Cowboys linebacker Marist Liufau — a fellow Notre Dame alum-turned-pro athlete — she was off.

Citron’s still processing all the change. But so far, she’s enjoying the ride — and her first taste of true adulthood, as a (nearly graduated) college student. “One thing that I’ve been waiting to do is get an espresso machine ... the actual machine where you do it yourself,” Citron says of her plans for her new home. “I realized I wanted it pretty deep into my senior year, and I didn’t want to get it at Notre Dame and then have to travel with it. So maybe now that I’m moving into my apartment soon, I might look into that.”

In the meantime, Citron breaks down her sweet welcome to the Mystics, tunnel walk ‘fits, and how she’s navigating the transition to professional basketball.

What’s the first thing that went through your mind when you heard your name at the draft?

Honestly, it was a sense of relief. Leading up to it, there was so much emotion, nerves, excitement. I just wanted to know where I was going to go.

Have you heard from your new teammates?

I’ve met most of them, because I’ve been [in D.C.] the past couple days. After I got drafted, a bunch of the coaches reached out and Slim — Brittney Sykes — reached out immediately. She was like, “Hey, I hope it’s OK that I call you SC. I’m really excited to share the court with you,” which I thought was really cool.

What’s it been like to step into a bigger spotlight?

Through it all, I try to just be myself. Going from college to the W, it’s a bigger stage — but it’s the same thing that I’ve been doing my whole life. It’s still basketball. It’s still something that I love. So not forgetting why I play and why I’m here hasn’t been too tricky, because I’m still me.

And what is that “why” for you?

God is one — glorify him. I can do what I do because of him, and I have him to thank for everything. My family [too], just how much they’ve poured into me to support me and help me get to where I am today. And then also, because it’s fun. Like, I love it. I played it when I was a kid because it was fun, and I kept playing it because it was fun.

Is there anything you learned from watching your boyfriend Marist make the transition from Notre Dame to professional football?

The biggest thing that he told me is to just stop worrying and stop being nervous — that wherever I end up is where I’m supposed to be. Earlier in the process, I was thinking, like, Where am I going to go? Maybe teams are watching me and I did bad, so now they’re not going to want me. He constantly reminded me that it’s OK. It’s all going to work out. God is going to put you where you need to be.

And he was right. I found my home in D.C., and I’ve been absolutely loving it. I was worried about being a professional — about that change, and how I would fit in. But truly embracing this whole process [taught me] that change isn’t bad. I’m in a new setting, a new place, a new city, a new team, a new organization — everything. And I’ve loved it. There’s a lot of learning and growth that goes into change. That’s the most beautiful part of it.

We often talk about athletes’ hype-up songs and ways they get into action mode — but during busy times like this, what are some ways you like to unwind? Whether it’s a favorite show, movie, or song…

I just finished Empire. I’m an anime watcher — Solo Leveling is absolutely amazing. One Tree Hill is always a classic I like to rewatch.

In terms of music, the thing that calms me down the most is Cape Verdean music. My mom’s parents are from Cape Verde, and growing up, when my grandma lived with us, we would always have that on the radio. It’s really peaceful, nostalgic music for me. [I also love] gospel music, R&B. Island music, too. My boyfriend being from Hawaii, he put me on to a lot of island music.

I loved your Coach look at the draft! Have you thought about how you want to dress for your tunnel walks with the Mystics?

At Notre Dame, we did tunnel ‘fits, and I think I did one the entire year. I would always tell my teammates, like, What am I going to do in the W? I’m still working on my style. I’m going to try and challenge myself to do it at least a couple times throughout the year. If I had to describe my style, it’s definitely simple. Not too flashy. I like to be comfortable. I don’t like when I have to sacrifice being able to move and feeling good, just to look good. That’s the best of both worlds, when you can look good and feel good.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.