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Madina Okot named Player of the Match in Dream’s first WNBA defeat
18th May, 2026 09:48 AM
Kenyan export to the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), Madina Okot‘s best game yet for the Atlanta Dreams on Sunday, May 17, 2026, ended in a heartbreaking 85-84 defeat against the Las Vegas Aces at the State Farm Arena
Okot proved to be the standout performer in her third appearance for the Women’s NBA outfit, putting on a show in front of a sellout crowd of 17,044 fans who had turned up for the team’s first home game following two successful wins on the road.
Dream looked dead and buried early on, trailing the Las Vegas side heading into the halftime break. However, a furious fourth-quarter rally, inspired by the dominant Kenyan centre and teammate Te-Hina Paopao, sparked a brilliant fightback for the hosts.
Okot enters the fray
Coming off the bench, Okot delivered her finest display of the season, clocking 14 points, 11 rebounds, and one block to claim the match’s best player plaudits. Dream outscored the Aces by 18 points while the Kenyan was on the floor, clawing their way back into the tie just as they had done in their previous game.
The sensational display seemed to have been capped in the final period when Atlanta’s second-year guard, Pao Pao, brought the Dream within a single point at 81-80 with just over two minutes remaining.
However, her and Okot’s stellar overall impact was ultimately undone by the Aces’ last-minute clutch execution. With the tight contest coming down to the wire and just 3.6 seconds left on the clock, Aces star guard Chelsea Gray shook off her defender to hit a brilliant step-back jumper to regain the lead for Las Vegas.
Okot has enjoyed a highly productive start to her rookie regular season with the Atlanta Dream, anchoring the team’s second unit with her elite rebounding and burly presence.
Her performance against Dallas followed a promising official WNBA regular-season debut on May 10, 2026, where she helped the Dream secure a thrilling 91-90 victory over the Minnesota Lynx.
Okot showed flashes of her scoring efficiency by chipping in eight points and grabbing four rebounds off the bench. The performance cemented her acclaim as among the best rookies of the WNBA draft season, and she carried off the finesse to the second game.
A relentless work ethic on both ends of the floor saw her earn a second win on the trot as Dream outsmarted the Dallas Wings in a battling 77-72 victory in Arlington, Texas, on Tuesday, May 12, 2026.
The Atlanta Dream will look to bounce back from their narrow loss when they host the Dallas Wings on Saturday, May 23, 2026. The game is scheduled at the Gateway Centre Arena in College Park, Georgia.
