There are several things that Madina Okot holds dear in her life.
At the top of the list for the 21-year-old Kenyan, who is causing ripples in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) with the Atlanta Dream, is her parents and seven siblings that she left behind in Mumias, Kakamega County, in August 2024 when she travelled to the US to pursue her basketball dream.
“They mean so much to me. I’ve been away from them for so long. I miss them,” Okot said in an April 2026 interview with The Athletic.
“Just being here today means so much. Six years ago I did not see myself here today. I had a dream to play professional basketball and I did not know it would come this soon,” Okot, who started playing basketball at the age of 16 after switching from volleyball, said on April 13 after she became the first Kenyan to be drafted in the WNBA in the first round.
On Sunday evening, after featuring in Atlanta Dream’s narrow 84-85 loss at home to defending WNBA champions Las Vegas Aces, the list grew to include playing against A’ja Wilson, the 29-year-old 6-foot-4-inch centre who has had an accolade-laden basketball career since the Aces selected her first overall in the 2018 WNBA draft.
“It means so much to me to get the opportunity to go out there and showcase my players against the greatest players, I mean A’ja Wilson is last season’s MVP,” Okot said after the match.
It was Atlanta Dream’s first loss of the season after starting with away victories against the Minnesota Lynx (91-90) and the Dallas Wings (77-72).
Okot, who joined the Atlanta Dream after featuring for one season with the South Carolina University’s Gamecocks in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championship, models her game on the three-time WNBA champion and four-time WNBA MVP.
Madina Okot (right) plays for Atlanta Dream against the Chicago Sky in a pre-season game on April 30, 2026. She recorded a double-double – scoring 14 points, picking 11 rebounds and 2 blocks. Atlanta Dream won 87-78.
Photo credit: Pool
During an April 2026 interview on SportOn! – Nation FM’s sports talk show – Michael Finley, the Senior Director and Country Operations Lead for NBA Africa in Kenya, revealed that Okot joined the South Carolina Gamecocks from the Mississippi State Bulldogs due to the former’s association with A’ja Wilson and the legendary Dawn Staley being their coach.
Wilson, Finley further shared, has long been aware of Okot’s admiration of her. Wilson became aware of that when Finley used his basketball contacts to set up a video call between Okot and Wilson.
In February 2026, Wilson attended a Gamecocks match featuring Okot and gave the Kenyan a standing ovation after she made three three-pointers.
Wilson, who was honoured with a statue on the University of South Carolina campus in 2021, played for the Gamecocks for four seasons before joining the WNBA. She led them to an NCAA title in 2017 with Staley as their coach.
Okot, while also coached by Staley, almost followed in Wilson’s footsteps in 2026 but lost 79-51 in the final to the UCLA Bruins.
Still, Okot had lived up to the University of South Carolina’s reputation of moulding future basketball stars.
At the Atlanta Dream, two of Okot’s teammates – guards Allisha Gray and Te-Hina Paopao – are also alumnae of the University of South Carolina.
Therefore, it is not surprising that despite playing only 33 minutes across three WNBA matches, Atlanta Dream coach Karl Smesko is already tipping Okot to be spoken of in that regard one day, as one of the greatest players in the competition.
“I think everybody is capable of seeing what Madina is becoming. I really do think she can end up becoming one of the best players in this league. She has that type of ability,” Smesko said.
“She is still learning but to see what she can do at this point is pretty impressive,” Smesko added.
Still, even while on her learning curve, Okot has been handing out basketball lessons.
Against the Aces, she became the first rookie this season to register a double-double after registering 14 points, 11 rebounds, and one assist. Her role model, Wilson, finished the game with 20 points, six rebounds, and one assist.
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.
Despite playing only 16 minutes in that match, Okot’s performance was enough to earn her the Atlanta Dream’s Player of the Game award.
Okot’s play was so impressive that despite the Aces holding a double-margin lead for most of the match, they did not outscore Dream by more than one point with Okot on the court.
The Kenyan entered the court five times in that match, during which the Aces only outscored Dream twice (8-7 and 3-2) as Dream dominated the other three instances 7-3, 11-7, and 10-0.
The last of those instances brought Dream on the brink of a comeback, but Okot was taken off for the final time with Aces narrowly leading 81-77.
“We had a meeting with the Atlanta Dream before the draft. They talked about my skills, versatility, contributing to the team in rebounding, playing defence, finishing, … just doing little things to make the team win,” she said on her draft day.
