'I cried so hard' - the Kenyan WNBA star who beat US visa heartbreak

ByAnita Nkonge and Emmanuel Akindubuwa

BBC Sport Africa

On the night that changed her life, Madina Okot sat quietly.

The Kenyan was waiting, hoping and praying that her name would be called at the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) draft in New York.

"I was so nervous," she told BBC Sport Africa, reflecting on those moments inside the venue on 13 April.

"When I heard my name, it was like a dream. Am I here? Am I really doing this?"

The 21-year-old did not have to wait long - she was selected in the first round, and 13th overall, by the Atlanta Dream.

The third Kenyan to be chosen in the WNBA draft, Okot is the highest pick ever from her country.

Perhaps even more impressive, the centre, who stands 6ft 6in tall, has joined the world's top professional league just six years after touching a basketball for the first time.

Her game blends physicality, tenacity and versatility, making her an efficient scorer and a solid defensive anchor.

But reaching the WNBA has not been straightforward.

Okot's journey began far from the spotlight as the fifth of eight children in her hometown of Mumias in western Kenya.

She initially excelled in volleyball at Bishop Sulumeti High School in Kakamega County before being persuaded to move across the country in 2020 to join Kaya Tiwi Secondary, a school on the east coast near Mombasa which has produced some of Kenyan basketball's biggest names.

"I was almost scared to try basketball," she recalled.

"But when I started playing I fell in love with the game so quickly."

Her raw talent propelled her through Kenya's national youth teams, with college sides in the United States alerted to her potential after she featured in the 3x3 basketball tournament at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

However, getting into the USA tested her resilience, as Okot faced no fewer than four visa rejections in her bids to join Troy University in Alabama and then Eastern Michigan University.

"It was tough. I felt like giving up several times," Okot revealed.

"The second, third and fourth one I cried so hard.

"I had a security guard taking me to my [taxi]. I felt so bad."

Having questioned whether to continue a process she described as "so heart-breaking, so discouraging", Okot believes her parents' prayers and her own resolve ultimately carried her through.

Relief finally came on a day in August 2024 that was already marked for celebration.

"The day that I got my visa was my birthday," she said with a broad smile across her face.

"That was my best birthday gift I've ever got.

"I'm so grateful to my mum and my dad and everybody else that kept convincing me to keep trying."

It was fifth time lucky for Okot, who joined Mississippi State for 2024-25 before transferring to the University of South Carolina in April last year.

This season she led her conference in rebounds - averaging 10.6 per game - and was instrumental in the Gamecocks' run to the national championship final earlier this month, where they were beaten 79-51 by the University of California, Los Angeles Bruins in front of nearly 16,000 spectators in Phoenix.

Okot's first professional campaign begins on 8 May, with established stars such as two-time WNBA All-Star Angel Reese part of the Atlanta Dream roster.

"I've been watching her since I was in high school," Okot said.

"I know she's going to be like a sister to me. She's going to teach me so many things.

"My goals are to keep growing my game and to learn from experienced players."

Okot brings size and defensive ability but she is realistic about the adjustment required at the sport's highest level.

And while she will also have an African team-mate to lean on for support, with Malian Sika Kone entering her fourth season in the WNBA, Okot understands the importance of her position as a role model for players from the continent.

"Honestly, it's a very big honour for me to be representing all those people back home.

"I just want to let them know that we (African women) really belong to any stage. If you really commit to work and believe, it can happen."

Okot describes herself as quiet by nature, with a love for pink and white colours, gospel music and ugali, a traditional East African food made from cornflour.

Despite her years in the USA, it is a sign that she still sees herself as the new arrival on the scene.

"I'm so excited to meet the players that I've been watching growing up. But I still can't believe that it's me doing this," she said.

"I'm just excited to work with them, learn so much and create memories."

Her rise has come at a time when women's sport is growing, but access and resources remain uneven, especially in Africa.

Okot is therefore keen to stress the importance of hard work.

"You don't have to have perfect facilities to start.

"Just stay locked in [and] don't stop chasing your dreams.

"I just want to be a kind of player that young girls will be looking at and be like, 'I want to be like Madina'.

"There's always somebody watching. That is how people get opportunities."