Madina Okot was denied a US visa four times in a span of two years, but as they say, God’s time is always the best.
The lanky Kenyan girl is now living her American dream after making it to the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) League, two years after moving to the US.
The 21-year-old was selected 13th overall by the Atlanta Dream in the 2026 WNBA Draft on Monday night in New York City.
Madina Okot holding up Atlanta Dream jersey with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert at The Shed New York City on April 13, 2026.
Photo credit: Pool
As the 13th pick, the 6-foot 6-inch (1.98m) tall player from Mumias, Kakamega County, is set to earn a staggering $1,294,367 (about Sh168,267,710) over four years at The Dream, a WNBA Eastern Conference side.
Okot made history as the first Kenyan to be drafted in the first round of the WNBA, but the third to make it to the prestigious club league after Josephine Owino in 2009 and Olivia Nelson-Ododa in 2022.
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
Okot, a student at the University of South Carolina, was picked alongside her teammate, American, Raven Johnson, at 10th in the first round that saw 15 players picked. Johnson joins the Indiana Fever.
The ninth to 15th picks will each earn a similar amount, $1,294,367 (Sh168,267,710) over four years in the new 2026 WNBA draft remuneration structure that will see players enter a vastly different league than their predecessors.
The 2026 WNBA season, featuring 15 teams, tips off on May 8 with preseason games scheduled to begin on April 25.
In her first season, Okot will earn $289,133 (Sh37,587,290), which is approximately Sh3.13m in monthly salary before improving to $300,698 (Sh39,090,740) the second year, $330,768 (Sh42,999,840) the third year and $373,768 (Sh48,589,840) the fourth year, equivalent to Sh4 million a month.
Madina Okot on the orange carpet at the WNBA draft in The Shed New York City on April 13, 2026.
Photo credit: Pool
The WNBA recently ratified a new Collective Bargaining Agreement with its players’ association in March.
The deal raised the salary cap from $1.5 million (Sh195m) in 2025 to $7m (Sh910m) in 2026 over four years, ushering in the first million-dollar player contracts and also benefiting the new rookies.
The first pick on Monday, American Azzi Fudd, who joins Dallas Wings from UConn Huskies Basketball team, will earn $500,000 (Sh65m) in her first season, significantly higher than the $78,831 (Sh10,248,030) earned by Paige Bueckers, last year’s top pick for Dallas Wings.
Second pick, American Olivia Miles, who is heading to the Minnesota Lynx from TCU Horned Frog, will earn $466,913 (Sh60,698,690) and the number three pick, Senegalese born Awa Fam of Spain, going to the Seattle Storm from Valencia Basket Club, Spain, will get $436,016 (Sh56,682,080).
Okot’s pay as a rookie will go up if she makes it to The Dream starting lineup as all drafted players, who end up making the team will earn more than any WNBA player did last year.
The league’s minimum $270,000 (Sh35.1m) annual salary, which is what the second- and third-round picks this year will earn, is higher than last year’s maximum salary of $249,244 (Sh32,401,720).
The WNBA draft is an annual selection exercise held by the WNBA through which WNBA teams can select new players from a talent pool of college and professional women's basketball players.
The WNBA draft that was held for the first time in 1997 requires players aged at least 22, who have completed their college eligibility, have graduated from a four-year college or have spent four years in high school.
The WNBA draft is held in April, before most USA colleges and universities have ended their academic years but the league considers anyone scheduled to graduate in the three months after the draft to be a "graduate" for draft purposes.
Okot, who was named the most promising girl at the Sports Personality of the Year awards (Soya) in 2022, joined South Carolina last year from Mississippi State University, and featured for the varsity basketball side in the 2024-25 NCAA Division I season.
Veteran coach Philip Onyango on how he mentored Madina Okot, who was recently drafted in the WNBA
She was denied a US visa four times from 2022 but eventually got the precious travel document in August 2024 and travelled to join Mississippi State University. She later transferred to the University of South Carolina in April 2025 to play under coach Dawn Staley, who is renowned for producing top WNBA players.
Okot played volleyball at Bishop Sulumeti High School before shifting to basketball when she joined Kaya Tiwi.
She got her maiden international call up at just 17 in the Kenya 3x3 team for the Fiba Under-23 in 2022.
