Washington Mystics guard Sonia Citron will forever remember the story about how she learned she was a 2025 WNBA All-Star. She'd remember it anyway, considering she's just a rookie, but there is another layer to it. Citron didn't get a phone call from Cathy Engelbert, but instead, an Instagram DM from Gabby Williams.
Citron was a guest on Between the Lines with Lisa Leslie, where she shared a funny, yet embarrassing (not for her) story. Williams sent Citron a screenshot of a voicemail she'd received from Engelbert, who thought she was calling Citron to congratulate her for being an All-Star. Williams congratulated Citron, saying she hoped that wasn't the way the rookie found out about the honor.
Little did Gabby know.
cathy thought she was calling sonia to tell her she’s an all star but instead she called gabby williams lmfao oh brother. gabby had to message sonia on insta and that’s how she found out pic.twitter.com/oe2rqPVyJ6
— correlation (@nosyone4) July 10, 2025
Citron confirmed after the Mystics' game that night with GM Jamila Wideman that she was indeed an All-Star. She had a feeling, but because she couldn't see the full voicemail transcript, she wasn't sure. She said it was hard for her not to wonder about it during the game.
Sonia Citron found out she was an All-Star from Gabby Williams
Citron said she had never previously spoken to Williams, who is also an All-Star reserve, so she knew the Storm forward wasn't reaching out to her for no reason. Washington will travel to Seattle this weekend for its first game of the season against the Storm, which will give Citron the chance to meet Williams face-to-face.
The latest hiccup from Engelbert isn't surprising, which says a lot. You'd think she'd triple-check (and then check again) that she was calling the right player. It's not like it's a hard task. At least Citron seemed to find it funny. What matters is that she is an All-Star. She'll join fellow Washington rookie Kiki Iriafen in Indianapolis next week. Citron and Iriafen are both on Team Clark. So is Williams.
Citron, the No. 3 pick in the draft, is averaging 14.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.1 steals per game for the 10-10 Mystics. She's made a lot of noise in her first season in the W, and being recognized as one of the top players is quite the accomplishment.
Hopefully, 2025 WNBA All-Star Weekend goes much smoother than Cathy's phone calls!