Three South Carolina women's basketball players found homes in the pros at the 2026 WNBA draft, held at The Shed at Hudson Yards in New York City, New York, on April 13. All were selected within the top 20 selections, with senior guard Raven Johnson going first off the board, followed by senior center Madina Okot and senior guard Ta'Niya Latson.
Raven Johnson to Indiana Fever
South Carolina senior guard Raven Johnson will reunite with former Gamecock teammate Aliyah Boston in the basketball state of Indiana. The Fever selected Johnson with the 10th overall pick in the first round of Monday's draft, the first Gamecock off the board.
Johnson averaged career highs in points, assists, field goals and 3-point percentage last season. At 9.9 points and 5.1 assists per game last season, she pioneered South Carolina to its third national championship appearance in her four seasons as the Gamecocks' starting point guard.
Now reunited in Indiana, Boston and Johnson won the 2022 national championship together at South Carolina, with Boston leading the Gamecocks at 9.8 rebounds per game that season. In the following season, it was former Iowa Hawkeye and current Fever guard Caitlin Clark who ended the Gamecocks' season and Boston's collegiate career in the March Madness tournament semifinal.
The Fever selected Boston No. 1 overall in the 2023 WNBA draft, then Clark No. 1 overall in the 2024 WNBA draft. Johnson earned South Carolina's revenge from 2023 in the following year's national championship, where the Gamecocks defeated Clark's Hawkeyes 87-75. Now, the three will join forces in Indiana.
Madina Okot to Atlanta Dream
The Gamecocks' leading rebound collector is headed to the team closest to Columbia. The Atlanta Dream selected South Carolina senior center Madina Okot with the 13th overall pick in the first round of the WNBA draft.
Okot played just two seasons in the NCAA. She signed with Mississippi State directly from her home country of Kenya, playing just one season with the Bulldogs before transferring to South Carolina for her final collegiate season. The Gamecocks had applied for Okot to receive an additional year of eligibility to stay with the program for the 2026-27 season, but that request was denied.
In her lone season as a Gamecock, Okot averaged a double-double with 12.8 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. Her 22 total double-doubles this season were the third most in the nation.
Okot won't bear the brunt of rebounding duties in Atlanta, however, as the Dream recently acquired forward Angel Reese from the Chicago Sky on April 6. Reese is coming off a season averaging a league-high 12.6 rebounds per game in her second professional season.
Ta'Niya Latson to Los Angeles Sparks
Senior guard Ta'Niya Latson will head to the West Coast for the next stage of her career. The Los Angeles Sparks selected the one-year Gamecock with the 20th overall pick in the second round of the WNBA draft Monday night.
Coming off a 2024-25 campaign averaging a nation-best 25.2 points per game, Latson opted to spend her final year of eligibility alongside her former high school teammate, Raven Johnson. The pair won three state titles together before parting ways for the collegiate level.
Latson was the Gamecocks' second-leading scorer at 14.1 points per game last season. She added 2.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.7 steals per game as well, all while posting an efficient 48.6% field goal percentage.
Capping off her college career, Latson also earned All-America and all-conference status for the fourth straight season. She will join former Gamecock guard Sania Feagin in Los Angeles, who was selected 21st overall by the Sparks in the 2025 draft.