Kenyan basketball star Madina Okot was selected 13th overall by the Atlanta Dream in the 2026 WNBA Draft on Monday night, marking a historic milestone for the country.
With this selection, Okot becomes the first Kenyan player to be drafted into the WNBA and the first to earn a first-round selection, underlining her rapid rise and placing Kenyan basketball firmly on the global map.
The 6’6” centre joins the professional ranks after an outstanding 2025/26 collegiate season with the South Carolina Gamecocks. She played a pivotal role in guiding the team to the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship final, competing at the highest level of the college game.
Across the season, Okot averaged 12.6 points and 10.6 rebounds per game, while shooting an impressive 57.5 per cent from the field and 45 per cent from three-point range.
She also recorded 22 double-doubles, tied for the most among players in Power Conference programmes. Her journey has been nothing short of remarkable.
Okot only picked up basketball in 2020, starting her career at Zetech University before transitioning to the U.S. college system. She first made her mark with the Mississippi State Bulldogs before moving to South Carolina, where she elevated her game to an elite level. At the Dream, Okot adds size, versatility, and a strong rebounding presence to a competitive roster that includes All-Stars Angel Reese and Allisha Gray, strengthening the team’s ambitions in the WNBA Eastern Conference.
Okot expressed her excitement after the draft, saying: “I had to be obsessed with details… This is not just for me. It is for all of Kenya, and I hope it makes us believe we belong at any stage.”
She is set to report for training camp on April 19 as preparations begin for the new season. Preseason games tip off on April 25, with the regular season scheduled to start on May 8.
