How new WNBA move will affect Kenyan basketball star
Reading Time: 2min | Wed. 17.06.26. | 20:56
The 21-year-old has not missed any game of her rookie season in Atlanta
Kenyan basketball star Madina Okot will enjoy the luxury of playing more games in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) after the league expanded its number of regular season games beginning next year.
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In a Wednesday, 17 June statement, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced that the American league was moving from its 44-game schedule to a 50-game season from 2027.
The decision, Engelbert said, was driven by the need to meet the market demands, and increasing interest.
"Demand for the WNBA has never been greater, and expanding to a 50-game regular season reflects the extraordinary momentum we are seeing across the league," Engelbert said in a statement.
"This move reflects our commitment to growing the game and creating more opportunities for fans to watch the best players in the world, and experience the extraordinary talent and competition that define the WNBA."
With the move, the WNBA regular season, which has primarily been a fixture of between May to September, will now extend beyond the previous limit of 31 October, and end no later than 21 November in 2027, and 30 November starting in 2028.
The expansion is part and parcel of the dynamic new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) that was signed by teams earlier this year, and one that is also set to vastly increased player pay.
Also on the agenda is to expand the league to 18 markets by 2028.
The WNBA currently includes 15 teams, including two 2026 expansion clubs: Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire.
Three more franchises in Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia are slated to become part of an 18-team league by 2030.
The news comes just at the right timeline for Okot, who is in her rookie season at the Atlanta Dream after being selected as the 13th overall pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft in April.
To date, Okot, a former volleyballer, is yet to miss a game this season, enjoying limited minutes off the bench, even as she acclimatises to the fast-pace demands of the game.