Basketball star Madina Okot secures offseason transfer to Tasmania Jewels
By Luke Oluoch, August 5, 2026The Tasmania Jewels have completed their inaugural roster with the signing of WNBA rising star Madina Okot.
The 21-year-old Atlanta Dream center, who only began playing basketball in 2020, will make her trade from the USA’s WNBA to a novel stint in Australia’s WNBL, subject to league approval. Okot arrives as the Jewels’ second import player for the upcoming campaign, cementing her status as a future All-Star.
Her move to Australia comes just months after making history in May 2026 by becoming the latest Kenyan to reach the WNBA, following her selection as the 13th overall draft pick by the Atlanta Dream.
off-season signing
The off-season signing is relative to her commitment in the WNBA, and the centre will return to the US for the next WNBA season once the 2026 WNBL campaign concludes
PHOTO/https://www.facebook.com/atlantadream
The Jewels are the WNBL’s newest franchise, having been officially unveiled in December 2025 ahead of their maiden campaign in the 2026/27 season, which tips off this October.
Their entry follows the NBL’s Tasmania JackJumpers securing a license in August to field a women’s team, building on the JackJumpers’ meteoric rise since their 2021 debut, their 2024 NBL title,
The Jewels join as the penultimate expansion team in a revamped 10-team league.
Leading the squad will be Claudia Brassard, who was named the Jewels’ inaugural head coach.
The Canadian-born Australian boasts an impressive coaching pedigree, having guided the Townsville Fire to a WNBL Championship as head coach in 2018, alongside back-to-back titles as an assistant in 2015 and 2016. She will look to build on Tasmania’s growing basketball legacy when the team takes to the court for the first time.
Praise for Okot
Brassard spoke highly of the incoming Kenyan center following her whirlwind debut season in the WNBA, hailing Okot as the
“We have a great balance of experience, leadership, youth, and hunger, alongside playmakers, sharpshooters, and interior presence,” Brassard said. “Okot is the final piece of our puzzle; we are going to be very competitive.”
“Her style of play is physical, and her height and wingspan are intimidating,” she added. “She will give us a massive presence inside the paint as an elite rebounder who can dominate defensively. Given that she is relatively new to the sport, her upside is huge, she is really only just scratching the surface.”
Okot joins a competitive core that includes first import Gianna Kneepkens (pending league approval), two-time WNBL champion Keely Froling (30), and veteran guard Nikki Parler.