Ruto backs Madina Okot as Atlanta Dream edge New York Liberty in WNBA
By Joel Masibo, September 24, 2026President William Ruto was in attendance backing Kenyan basketball sensation Madina Okot as her Atlanta Dream side edged New York Liberty 83-65 in the WNBA match in Brooklyn on Wednesday night, September 23, 2026.
The match attendance came on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where Atlanta Dream sealed an important fourth spot.
Allisha Gray led Atlanta with 24 points, while Naz Hillmon contributed 16 as the Dream improved to 31-13. Their fourth-place finish means they will have home-court advantage in the opening round of the playoffs.
Atlanta will discover their first-round opponent on Thursday, September 24, 2026, with either Indiana or Washington set to face the Dream from Sunday, September 27, 2026.
The victory, however, was overshadowed by an injury scare involving Angel Reese shortly before half-time.
Reese was struck in the face while defending against Sabrina Ionescu, with the incident occurring after an offensive foul was called on the New York guard. The call was subsequently upgraded to a flagrant 1.
Reese converted both resulting free throws before leaving the court for the final seconds of the second quarter.
She remained in the locker room during the opening minutes of the third period before returning to the bench with 6:19 remaining in the quarter. The Atlanta star did not return to action and ended the night with six points and six rebounds.
Despite losing Reese, the Dream maintained control of the contest.
Atlanta trailed by one point after the opening quarter but produced a strong second period to take a 41-26 advantage into the interval.
The Liberty, meanwhile, struggled to respond, particularly with Breanna Stewart unavailable because of left knee soreness. New York fell 18 points behind during the third quarter and could not reduce the deficit to fewer than seven points for the remainder of the game.
Jonquel Jones recorded 10 points and 14 rebounds for New York before being forced out in the third quarter with a left ankle injury.
Jones appeared to injure the ankle after missing a three-point attempt and seemingly stepping on a spectator’s foot.
Marine Fauthoux finished with 14 points for the Liberty, while Han Xu added 11.
New York ended the regular season 26-18 and will enter the playoffs as the eighth seed, setting up a first-round meeting with Minnesota.
Before tip-off, the Liberty unveiled their 2026 Commissioner’s Cup championship banner. The franchise also held a short ceremony recognising Rebecca Allen, who is playing her final season.
Allen is currently in her third spell with New York. Her previous periods with the Liberty came between 2015 and 2019 and again from 2021 to 2022.
AFCON 2027 and 2029 World Championships
At the same time, the President also met the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Director-General Khaled El-Enany.
Ruto revealed that Kenya looks forward to hosting the UNESCO World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development in Nairobi in January 2027. He said the two also discussed collaboration around Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2027) and the 2029 World Athletics Championships, harnessing education, culture, science and sport to create more opportunities for Kenyans.