Why Madina Okot is projected to join Indiana Fever in Women's NBA
Reading Time: 3min | Wed. 26.11.25. | 11:03
Okot has been a double-double machine, logging four in six games, and has shown some flashes of low-post dominance, something that has been present for each of the team’s three previous WNBA championship runs
Kenyan basketball sensation Madina Okot, currently with powerhouse University of South Carolina’s Gamecocks for the 2025-26 season, has been projected to land at the WNBA’s Indiana Fever, who finished 24-20 in 2025 and reached the WNBA semifinals.
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The 2026 WNBA Draft order was settled on Sunday, 23 November, with Fever taking the number 10 overall pick in the first round. In ESPN’s post-lottery 2026 WNBA mock draft, Michael Voepel predicted the Fever to select Gamecocks centre Okot with their first-round pick.
With only two players other than superstar Caitlin Clark under contract for 2026, Fever head coach Stephanie White must nail their draft pick to keep the team among the title favourites next season, and the Kenyan ace has been projected to fit perfectly.
Madina Okot (11/19/25) pic.twitter.com/mQcw4p93x8
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Joining South Carolina marked a pivotal moment in Okot’s career, aligning her with one of the NCAA’s elite programs and bolstering her path toward potentially becoming the first-ever Kenya-born player in the WNBA.
South Carolina’s coach, Dawn Staley, is among the best coaches of all time at developing players for the WNBA, including centres like 2025 WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces.
Should Okot be drafted by the Fever, she would join Gamecock legend Aliyah Boston in the Indiana frontcourt. Bree Hall also finished the year with the Fever, but does not have a contract beyond 2025.
“Okot transferred to spend her final season with the Gamecocks and has fit in well. She leads South Carolina, averaging a double-double (13.3 points, 10.8 rebounds) and leading the team with 2.2 blocks per game.
She is a more traditional centre, but there is still a place for those players in the WNBA, especially if they defend well,” Voepel opines.
Okot has been a double-double machine, logging four in six games, and has shown some flashes of low-post dominance, something that has been present for each of the team’s three previous WNBA championship runs (A’ja Wilson in 2016-2017, Aliyah Boston in 2021-2022, and Kamilla Cardoso in 2023-2024).
The 21-year-old played for two years in Kenya with Zetech Sparks before a year at Mississippi State. Coach Staley has said that they would ‘fight like heck’ for an additional year of eligibility. However, a first-round draft selection would be hard to pass up for the 6.6 ft player.
The Fever simply did not have a player like her on the roster last season. They only had two players over 6-foot-3. Boston was the tallest at 6-foot-5, but she had to take on more responsibility away from the basket amid injuries to Clark and several other guards.
There is still a lot to sort out on the Fever roster before the draft. Decisions on key free agents like Lexie Hull and Sophie Cunningham will have to wait until a new collective bargaining agreement is signed. Cox said retaining All-Star guard Kelsey Mitchell is the team’s number one priority.
A full season of Clark would be the biggest boost to the Fever in 2026, but drafting Okot could prove to be a valuable addition no matter what the rest of the roster looks like.
