From visa rejections to WNBA: Kenyan Okot’s incredible journey
She did not grow up dreaming of basketball, and her introduction to basketball was almost accidental. Yet Madina Okot, a 21-year-old from Mumias in western Kenya, is now a professional basketball player, drafted 13th overall by the Atlanta Dream in the 2026 WNBA Draft, and the first Kenyan woman ever to earn a first-round pick. It is a story that almost did not happen; several times over.
Okot is a naturally gifted athlete and was playing volleyball at Bishop Sulumeti High School when Robert Avan, the principal of Kaya Tiwi High School, spotted her during the Kenya Secondary Schools Association Games in Kisumu.
Struck by her height and raw athleticism, he offered her a basketball scholarship. It was a sport she barely knew. But she said yes. At Kaya Tiwi, under coach Philip Onyango, she started from scratch, learning footwork, positioning and the fundamentals of a game that would eventually take her to the highest level.
“He’s the first person that introduced me to basketball,” Okot said. “He’s the one that showed me the court, how the game is played, and everything.“
Her development was rapid. She earned her first international call-up at just 17, representing Kenya’s 3×3 team at the FIBA Under-23 tournament in 2022. Later that same year, she featured for the senior national team at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, where Kenya defeated Sri Lanka before bowing out in the quarter-finals against England.
She also emerged as the top rebounder at the FIBA Africa Women’s Champions Cup in Maputo, averaging 12.3 rebounds per game, a sign of things to come. But the road to America, where her talent could truly be tested, was painfully slow to open. Between 2022 and 2024, Okot applied for a United States visa four times but was turned away each time.
“After being denied a visa for the fourth time, I came from the embassy crying, unable to control myself. It has not been easy, but finally it is here. I’m just happy,” she said.
During those years of waiting, she enrolled at Zetech University, studying for a diploma in business accounting while continuing to play basketball, refusing to let the delays extinguish her ambition.
The turning point came through an unlikely connection. Michael Finley, former NBA player and NBA Kenya Senior Director, played a significant role in her eventual visa success, helping her prepare for the embassy interview the day before she went.
On her fifth attempt, the interview lasted just a minute and a half. She walked out not knowing whether to cry or smile and called Finley immediately. By August 2024, she was in the United States.
“I learned that timing is not mine. It’s God’s timing,” she said. Her impact on arrival was immediate. At Mississippi State University, she led the SEC in field goal percentage, shooting an extraordinary 64.9%, and ranked fourth in the conference in rebounds per game.
She then transferred to the University of South Carolina, where legendary coach Dawn Staley, who described her as a “powerhouse” still only scratching the surface of her potential, helped further refine her game. Under Staley, Okot sharpened her defence, her decision-making and her overall discipline, playing a key role in South Carolina’s run to the NCAA Final Four.
When the NCAA denied her request for an additional year of eligibility, she was forced to declare for the WNBA Draft after just two seasons of college basketball. What looked like a setback turned into a statement.
Players drafted between ninth and 15th in the 2026 draft are expected to earn around $1.29 million over four years, with Okot’s salary projected to rise from approximately $289,000 in her first season to nearly $374,000 in her fourth.
She will join the Atlanta Dream alongside LSU’s Angel Reese, a fellow centre from whom Okot says she is eager to learn. It is a remarkable destination for a young woman who, not long ago, was sitting in a visa queue in Nairobi, wondering if her dream would ever come true.
“Six years ago, I didn’t see myself being here today,” she said at the draft. “If I could go back, I’d tell my younger self; I’m so proud of her. She never gave up.”
Written by Oral Ofori
