Madina Okot came off the bench and gave the Atlanta Dream exactly what they needed Wednesday morning, helping them hold off the Dallas Wings 77-72 at College Park Center and stay unbeaten to open the season.
The 21-year-old played nine minutes and did not score, but she finished with five rebounds, the third-highest total for Atlanta in the game. It was another steady showing for Okot, who scored eight points in her WNBA debut against the Minnesota Lynx last Sunday.
Atlanta’s fast start has already turned Okot’s rookie season into a close watch. She was taken 13th overall in the 2026 WNBA Draft and has quickly become one of the few Kenyan women to reach the top tier of professional basketball in America. For a player who started basketball late, the climb has been steep and fast.
Okot has said the path felt almost unreal even before she got to this point. She has spoken about feeling behind when she began and about having to become obsessed with the details, putting in extra work, and learning from experienced teammates. That kind of grind has carried her from a late start to the global elite stage in six years.
The tension for Atlanta is how quickly a rookie can keep contributing while the season heats up. Okot impressed during training camp and preseason assignments after moving from South Carolina to the professional ranks last month, and the Dream have already leaned on her size and rebounding. Against Dallas, she did not need to score to matter. She just had to help finish the job.
For Okot, the numbers are starting to pile up faster than the emotions can settle. She has described waking up and still asking herself whether this is real, before reminding herself to be grateful for the opportunity she once only imagined. Right now, the Dream are unbeaten, and the Kenyan rookie is already part of the reason why.
