WNBA: Ruto courtside as Madina Okot lifts Atlanta Dream victory
President William Ruto and First Lady Rachel Ruto watched the game courtside alongside NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum, creating a historic moment as Madina Okot spoke Swahili with the presidential couple after the match.
Photo credit: PCS
Contributor
Nation Media Group
Madina Okot from Kenya came off the bench and contributed two points and two rebounds on Wednesday as her team, Atlanta Dream, beat New York Liberty in Brooklyn to end the regular season of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) with a win.
It was double joy for Okot as President William Ruto and First Lady Rachel Ruto watched from courtside as the Kenyan star and her team closed their regular season with an 83-65 victory over New York Liberty.
The victory at Barclays Center secured Atlanta the fourth seed in the WNBA playoffs and home-court advantage in the opening round.
Ruto, who is in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, attended the game to support the Kenyan-born centre in her historic first WNBA season.
The President and First Lady were seated courtside alongside NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum and representatives of NBA Africa.
For Okot, seeing President Ruto in the stands was a special moment.
“It was a very good honour. I appreciate him showing up,” Okot told the Associated Press after the game.
The 23-year-old said Ruto's presence was also significant because of what it could mean for young female athletes in Kenya.
“I’m the only Kenyan over here and it just shows how much he supports sports at home. I hope that this opens up opportunities for other girls,” she said.
After the final whistle, Okot met President Ruto and Rachel on the court, where they exchanged greetings and posed for photographs.
Okot said she was particularly happy to have spoken to the President and First Lady in Swahili.
“I got to talk some Swahili today. So happy I spoke Swahili to my president and the first lady,” she said.
The occasion capped a landmark first professional season for Okot, who has become a trailblazer for Kenyan women's basketball.
In April 2026, Atlanta selected her 13th overall in the WNBA Draft, making her the first Kenyan to be picked in the first round of the league's draft.
Her selection followed a collegiate career in the United States, where she played at Mississippi State before transferring to South Carolina.
At South Carolina, Okot was part of a team that won the Southeastern Conference regular-season title and reached the NCAA Tournament. Her performances helped raise her profile ahead of the WNBA Draft.
The 6-foot-6 centre has since made the transition to professional basketball with Atlanta, gaining experience against some of the world's top players.
One of her standout moments came in July when she scored a career-high 19 points against Portland.
Madina Okot on the orange carpet at the WNBA draft in The Shed New York City on April 13, 2026.
Photo credit: Pool
Her rookie season has now extended into the postseason, with Atlanta finishing fourth in the regular-season standings.
The Dream's playoff campaign will give Okot her first opportunity to compete in the WNBA postseason, barely five months after she was selected in the draft.
Ruto's appearance also came amid his engagement with the NBA during his New York visit. He met NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum, with basketball development and opportunities in Kenya among the issues discussed.
For Okot, attention now shifts from a memorable night in Brooklyn to the playoffs, where Atlanta will have home-court advantage in the opening round.
For Okot, the win capped a memorable first season in the WNBA, one that has seen her make history as Kenya’s first first-round draft pick and now reach the playoffs in her rookie year.
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