Why ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo says Madina Okot is an intriguing WNBA prospect
There’s always been the thought that South Carolina forward Madina Okot could be headed to the WNBA Draft after one season with the Gamecocks.
Now that her waiver for an extra year of eligibility was denied by the NCAA, that thought is reality. Okot will be in attendance for the 2026 WNBA Draft on Monday in New York City. She’ll be there alongside South Carolina teammates Raven Johnson and Ta’Niya Latson.
ESPN analyst and basketball Hall of Famer Rebecca Lobo described Okot as one of the more exciting prospects in the 2026 draft class.
“She’s been playing basketball for what, like five or six years?” Lobo told reporters Friday. “She is relatively new to the game. And I think for a lot of people, they know that this young woman is not even close to touching what she can be as a professional player. So I think that excites people.”
Okot began playing basketball in 2020 and started her college career at Zetech University in her native Kenya. She came to the States for her junior season (2024-25) and played for Mississippi State. Okot averaged 11.3 points and 9.6 rebounds in her lone season with the Bulldogs.
Okot transferred to South Carolina for the 2025-26 season and put together strong results in her senior year with the Gamecocks. She was an All-SEC second-team selection and was a finalist for the Lisa Leslie Center of the Year Award.
The 6-foot-6 forward averaged a double-double with 12.8 points and an SEC-leading 10.6 rebounds per game. Both stats were career-high marks.
Okot shot 57.5% from the floor this season and even added a 3-point shot to her repertoire. Okot had never attempted a 3-pointer in her NCAA career before transferring to South Carolina. This past season she made 13 of her 29 attempts (44.8%) from beyond the arc.
At her best, Okot was dominant on both sides of the ball in the post. She averaged 1.4 blocks and 1.3 steals and had a 6.5 defensive box plus/minus this past season.
“She showed that she has range out to 3, and even though a low volume, can consistently hit it,” Lobo said. “She’s a rim protector, she can finish inside, certainly brings great size. So I think a lot of teams are really intrigued by her, especially because of her story and how new she is to the game, and what that means about her future potential.”
Although Okot’s candidacy for the draft is technically new, she’s been a projected first-round pick for most of the last year. In fact, six separate outlets all had Okot as a first-round pick in their respective mock drafts.
CBS Sports, USA Today, OnSI (Sports Illustrated) and Tankathon all have Okot being selected by the Atlanta Dream with the No. 13 overall pick. Meanwhile, ESPN and The Athletic both slotted Okot at the No. 15 overall pick to the Connecticut Sun.
The WNBA Draft features three, 15-pick rounds this year. If projections hold up, Okot would be a late first-round selection.
“I would expect somewhere maybe late first round, early second round,” Lobo said of where Okot fits in the draft. “This is a draft that is deep in the point guard and wing position and not so much in the post position. So that might help her.”
If Okot is selected in the first round on Monday night she’d be the latest in a long line of South Carolina forwards taken early in the draft.
This story was originally published April 11, 2026 at 7:00 AM with the headline "Why ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo says Madina Okot is an intriguing WNBA prospect."
