Madina Okot from Kenya showed glimpses of her potential on her debut in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) on Saturday night as her team, Atlanta Dream, started its season by battling back from a 17-point halftime deficit to snatch a 91-90 road game win against the Minnesota Lynx at the Target Centre in Minneapolis.
Drafted 13th overall in the 2026 WNBA draft, Okot became the first Kenyan to feature in a WNBA game and the 6-foot-6 centre from Mumias, Kakamega County, made her presence felt with eight points, four rebounds, and one steal during a 10-minute cameo spread across the first three quarters of the game.
She was not involved in the fourth quarter, during which Dream outscored Lynx 28-19 to complete their dramatic comeback victory.
Okot, the first Kenyan to be selected in the first round in the WNBA draft, marched into the Target Center dressed in a pink cropped sweatshirt and matching high-waist sweatpants but had to wait until the final four minutes of the first quarter to grace the court in Atlanta Dream’s red jersey and shorts.
UConn Huskies forward Sarah Strong (21) shoots against South Carolina Gamecocks centre Madina Okot (11) in the first half during a semifinal of the Final Four of the women's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Mortgage Matchup Centre in April 3, 2026.
Josephine Owino, selected 28th overall in the third round of the 2009 WNBA draft by the Washington Mystics, was the first Kenyan to be drafted in the WNBA. Owino, however, never featured in a WNBA game after the Mystics waived her three matches into the 2009 WNBA season.
“The fact that I know that I am going to be beside Angel Reese, I feel like that will be a very big blessing to me. I am so excited to learn so much from her. She plays the same position as me, so I am sure she is going to teach me a lot,” the 21-year-old Okot, speaking after her drafting to the WNBA on April 13, 2026, said on the prospect of playing with 24-year old American Angel Reese, one of the WNBA’s most exciting stars.
Interestingly, Okot made her first step on the court after coming on for Reese with 3 minutes 53 seconds left on the clock in the first quarter, and the Kenyan entered the fray with Lynx, coached by Cheryl Reeve, teaching the Karl Smesko-coached Dream a basketball lesson with a 14-7 lead.
The situation was the same in the second and third quarters when she also came on for Reese with the Dream trailing 23-35 and 49-57, respectively.
Okot made way for Malian Sika Kone and Americans Naz Hilmon and Allisha Grey when she left the court in the first, second, and third quarters, respectively.
Still, despite finding her team trailing each time she stepped on the court, Okot provided stability that prevented Lynx from stretching their lead.
With Okot on the court, Lynx only outscored Dream in the first quarter, when the Kenyan played 2 minutes 42 seconds. In that period, Lynx scored six points to Dream’s four. Okot scored two points, grabbed two offensive rebounds, and won possession once, efforts that compensated for her committing a foul and having two layups blocked.
The second and third quarters showed what Dream can gain with Okot getting more minutes on the court.
Madina Okot celebrates as the South Carolina Gamecocks secure their place in the NCAA Women’s Final Four for a sixth consecutive year during the 2026 March Madness tournament.
Photo credit: Pool
The second quarter had Okot playing for four minutes, her longest spell on the court, after she replaced Reese with 6 minutes 37 seconds left on the clock. With Okot on the court during that period, both teams scored 10 points, with Okot making an impact on both ends of the court. She scored two points, made a defensive rebound, and managed a steal, contributions which arguably erased her missing an ambitious three-pointer from 24 feet and committing a foul.
In the third quarter, Dream outscored Lynx 11-10 during the 3 minutes and 8 seconds they played with Okot. Despite losing the ball once, Okot, who replaced Reese with 4 minutes 18 seconds remaining on the clock, helped set up her team for a strong final quarter with four points and a defensive rebound.
Okot will have another chance to impress on Wednesday night (Thursday morning in Kenya) when Dream travel to Texas to take on the Dallas Wings.
After that, Okot will prepare to make her home debut on May 17 when the Atlanta Dream hosts defending WNBA champions Las Vegas Aces.
