Madina Okot Becomes First Kenyan to Play in the WNBA Finals

Madina Okot has become the first Kenyan to play in the WNBA Finals. Six years ago, the Mumias-born center had never touched a basketball.

Okot, 21, made her Finals debut on Oct. 19 in Game 2 at Chase Center in San Francisco. Her Atlanta Dream won 79-65 that night, leveling the series against the Golden State Valkyries.

Her milestone marks a first for Kenyan basketball, and it carries more weight because Kenya built the early part of her path.

FIBA Africa reports she joined Kenya’s under-23 3×3 team at 17. In 2023, she made the tournament team in Egypt as Kenya took silver, its best finish at that event.

Now, another chance to shine has arrived in Atlanta, one loss from elimination.

Okot’s Short Minutes Carry Real Production

Atlanta drafted Okot 13th overall in April. FIBA reports she is the first Kenyan taken in the first round of the WNBA draft.

As a rookie, she appeared in 42 regular-season games and started two. ESPN reports she averaged 5.4 points and 3.3 rebounds in 9.1 minutes.

Scaled to 36 minutes, that pace works out to about 21 points and 13 rebounds. Of course, that is a projection, not an official stat.

A standout night came on May 17 against Las Vegas. She scored 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in 16 minutes, hitting seven of 12 shots in an 85-84 loss, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

Her Finals role is smaller. In Game 3, a 97-71 Atlanta win, she scored three points and blocked a shot in limited minutes.

Okot has said she is staying ready for whenever her name is called, ESPN reported.

Kenyan Fans Want More Minutes for Their Lioness

Okot’s support at home runs deep. She has played for Kenya’s national team, known as the Lionesses, and Kenyan outlets have followed her draft, her debut and now her Finals run.

Fans have noticed her minutes. Online, many argue a rookie learns by playing through mistakes, and that a coach cannot demand growth while sitting her after early errors.

Her usage gives the debate fuel. In the Sept. 23 win at New York, she scored two points and grabbed two rebounds in limited minutes, the AP and Citizen Digital reported.

Dream head coach Karl Smesko has said she has “so much potential,” High Post Hoops reported. He has also spent the season looking for ways to give his bench quality minutes, the AJC reported.

Angel Reese Turned Mentorship Into a Springboard

Angel Reese, the Dream’s star forward, joined the team from the Chicago Sky in April for Atlanta’s 2027 and 2028 first-round picks. Since training camp, she has mentored Okot, The IX Sports reported.

Okot sees it the same way. “Angel’s been sort of a mentor to me,” she said.

Okot also credits Reese with pushing her past what she thought she could do, High Post Hoops reported. Playing beside top talent has sped up her growth: “I’m learning from the greatest,” she told the AJC.

Reese has the credentials to make that guidance count. At 24, she is a three-time All-Star, and AFP lists her as the league’s Defensive Player of the Year.

For a rookie who took up the sport six years ago, daily reps beside a star of that caliber are a rare advantage.

Reese’s Numbers Carried Atlanta to Its First Finals Since 2013

Reese averaged 16.4 points and 12.1 rebounds in her first season in Atlanta, according to HITC. On Aug. 22, she scored a career-high 31 points with 14 rebounds against Phoenix.

Her season also produced an Atlanta single-season record for double-doubles, per the AP.

In the playoffs, Reese opened with 13 points and 12 rebounds against Washington, Bleacher Report reported. Atlanta then won its first playoff series since 2016.

Against New York, she added 22 points and nine rebounds in the 85-83 clincher. That win sent the Dream to their first Finals since 2013.

Golden State won Game 1, 68-64. Reese answered in Game 2 with 30 points and 16 rebounds, and Atlanta earned the first Finals win in franchise history after going 0-10.

The AP noted that she became the third player to score 30 points and grab 15 rebounds in a Finals game, joining Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart.

In Game 3, she posted 21 points, 12 rebounds, three assists, and three steals, Citizen Digital reported. Across the two wins, she averaged 25.5 points and 14 rebounds.

Kiah Stokes and Golden State’s defense held her to eight points and nine rebounds in Game 4.

Atlanta Must Win Game 6 at Home to Force a Game 7 in California

Golden State leads the series 3-2 after a 64-55 win in Game 5 on Monday at Chase Center. Valkyries center Kiah Stokes had 13 points, eight rebounds and three blocks, ESPN reported.

Game 6 tips off at 12:30 p.m. ET Thursday, Oct. 29, at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. A Dream win forces Game 7 on Oct. 31 at Chase Center in San Francisco. Should Atlanta lose, Golden State wins the title on Atlanta’s floor.

Two patterns stand out. Golden State committed more than 17 turnovers in each of the first three games, Mozzart Sport reported. In Game 2, Atlanta turned 19 of them into 24 points, per the AP.

Golden State then limited its turnovers in Game 4, and it won.

Rebounding offers another path. Stokes grabbed 16 rebounds in Game 4, eight of them offensive, and has a Finals-record 14 blocks through four games, the AP reported.

Reese and Okot have worked well together on the offensive glass, the AJC noted in July. Whether Smesko turns to Okot in that matchup is his call.

Okot’s calendar already points past this series. Nation reports she will join the Tasmania Jewels in Australia’s WNBL after the Finals.

Before that, a Kenyan rookie and her mentor have one more Thursday in Atlanta to keep a title chase alive.