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 3×3 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.”
