By R.L. Bynum
Former North Carolina guard Indya Nivar’s WNBA dream has been realized, as she secured a spot on the Atlanta Dream’s opening‑night roster, which the team announced Thursday afternoon.
“The Dream’s 2026 draft class is represented by Madina Okot and Indya Nivar, whose size, athleticism and defensive intensity earned them spots on the opening night roster following strong performances throughout training camp,” the team said in its official roster announcement.
Nivar, a second‑round pick (28th overall) in the WNBA Draft, played 32 minutes over two preseason games, collecting 11 points, four rebounds and two assists, going 4 of 8 from the floor and 1 of 3 from 3‑point range. As a second‑round pick, Nivar does not have a guaranteed contract.
Atlanta carried Nivar as one of two rookies on its opening‑night roster, joining Okot in a rotation built to contend after a franchise‑record 30‑win season in 2025.
The Dream are a deep team that added Angel Reese in the offseason to stars Rhyne Howard, Allisha Gray and Brionna Jones.
Nivar, who is from Apex, played three seasons at Carolina (2023–26) after transferring from Stanford, appearing in 99 games with 75 starts. She finished her Tar Heel career with 723 points, 421 rebounds and 287 assists, averaging 7.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game.
Her best season came as a senior last season, when she averaged 10.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists, earning second-team All-ACC and ACC All-Defensive Team honors while helping UNC reach the Sweet 16 for the second straight year.
Other than Diamond DeShields, who played only her freshman season at UNC and last played in the WNBA in 2024, Nivar is the first Tar Heel to make an opening roster since Stephanie Watts in 2021. Watts played six games that season before the Chicago Sky released her.
Nivar is the first former Tar Heel to play multiple seasons at UNC and play in the NBA since Jessica Breland’s career ended in 2021.
Nyla Harris earned a training-camp contract with the Washington after going undrafted, but the Mystics released her on Tuesday.
Atlanta’s season opener is at 8 p.m. Saturday at Minnesota.
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Photo courtesy of the ACC
