Kenyan basketball star prospect Madina Okot is set to enter the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) Draft scheduled to take place on Monday, April 13, 2026, at The Shed at Hudson Yards in New York City, USA.

Projections are placing her as a potential first-round selection, a milestone moment for Kenyan basketball on the global stage.

Standing at 6'6", Okot, who most recently starred for the South Carolina Gamecocks, arrives at the draft following a strong 2025/26 season that saw her emerge as one of the most productive frontcourt players in women’s college basketball.

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She was part of the Gamecocks squad that reached the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship final, competing at the highest level of the collegiate game.

The South Carolina Gamecocks Head Coach Dawn Staley said Madina Okot has brought so much to the team this year both on and off the court, describing her as incredibly young in her basketball career, with her maturity and desire to improve her game poised to go well beyond those years.

“We have seen so much growth from her over the course of the season, and everyone around our program is excited to see her thrive at the next level,” the Head Coach expressed in a press statement.

Notably, Okot’s progression through the game has been accelerated, having only begun playing basketball in 2020.

In retrospect, she started her college career in Kenya playing for Zetech University and then spent two years in the U.S. college system, first with the Mississippi State Bulldogs, before transferring to the South Carolina Gamecocks.

“Sometimes I wake up, and I’m like, ‘Am I really here?’ Sometimes it feels like it’s a dream because of what I’ve been through to get here,” Okot said in a recent interview.

“I’m just so grateful. Every day I wake up, I feel like it’s a great opportunity to get what I once dreamed about. I’m here. It’s just something to be grateful for,” she added.

Importantly, her performance snapshot reveals incredible stats this season (2025/26) including 12.8 points- 10.6 rebounds per game, 57.5 percent field goal shooting, 44.8 percent three-point shooting, and 22 double-doubles, tied for the most among players in Power Conference programs.

Further, Okot’s combination of interior presence and perimeter efficiency has positioned her as one of the most versatile bigs in this year’s draft class.

To emphasise, Okot is widely projected as a high first-round pick, on multiple mock drafts with observers and sports media personalities claiming that she is the prototypical WNBA Draft player to be drafted on potential.

Additionally, they insist that the improvement in her game is eye-opening, and she has now shown the ability to stretch it at the offensive end at her size by gobbling up rebounds and being a very good rebounder, which makes her a first-round pick.

Should this projection hold, Okot would become the highest drafted Kenyan player in WNBA & NBA history and among a select group of Kenyan athletes to reach the league.

With the April 13 draft approaching, her selection is expected to draw significant attention across both local and international basketball audiences.