Atlanta Dream select Madina Okot in first round of 2026 WNBA Draft

The Atlanta Dream have selected South Carolina center Madina Okot in the first round of the 2026 WNBA Draft. Okot was taken with the No. 13 selection.

Okot is WNBA-bound after spending just one season with the Gamecocks. She posted averages of 12.8 points and 10.6 rebounds per game, a key piece of head coach Dawn Staley‘s squad that advanced to the national championship game. Okot was an All-SEC second-team selection and a finalist for the Lisa Leslie Center of the Year Award. South Carolina hoped that Okot would get one more year of eligibility, however, the NCAA denied the request.

“Early in her basketball career, Madina made courageous choices not just to pursue just the sport, but also to better her life,” Staley said in a press release. “Her path included just a short time with us in Columbia, but we are grateful to be part of her story. She made our team and our sport better.”

WNBA analyst explains why Madina Okot is an exciting prospect

Okot made her way to Columbia after playing the 2024-25 season at Mississippi State. There, she averaged 11.3 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. Okot, the Kenya native, spent the two previous seasons playing college basketball in her home country.

Okot showed a lot of growth in her game this past season. Notably, she added a 3-point shot to her repertoire. Okot, who hadn’t attempted a 3-pointer in her NCAA career before transferring to South Carolina, shot 44.8% from behind the arc (13-of-29). ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo described her as one of the more exciting prospects in this year’s draft.

“She’s been playing basketball for what, like five or six years?” Lobo said, via The State. “She is relatively new to the game. And I think for a lot of people, they know that this young woman is not even close to touching what she can be as a professional player. So I think that excites people.”