Earlier this week, Caitlin Clark's former teammate, Kate Martin, was waived for the second time this WNBA season, this time by the Los Angeles Sparks after appearing in 17 games. On Wednesday, the Chicago Sky announced they'd signed Martin to a developmental contract, making for her fourth team in three years. The news came shortly after Martin revealed she'd signed to play in the Unrivaled 3-on-3 league, co-founded by WNBA All-Stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier.
Martin has ties to the Indiana Fever's Caitlin Clark, as the two players were previously college basketball teammates at Iowa. Martin played there from 2019 to 2024, while Clark was there from 2020 to 2024. Both players were in the 2024 WNBA Draft, with Clark going first overall and Martin in the second round at No. 18 to the Las Vegas Aces.
She spent the 2024 season there before being made available in the WNBA Expansion Draft, where the Golden State Valkyries drafted her. More news: Fever Make Emphatic Statement About Caitlin Clark’s MVP Candidacy She played 42 games for Golden State, and her 16.4 minutes per game were a significant boost from her playing time in her rookie season in Las Vegas. Those minutes also led to an increase in her numbers, with Martin averaging 6.2 points, 2.7 rebounds, and one assist per game, per ESPN.
This past May, Golden State waived Martin, and three days later, the Los Angeles Sparks signed her to a developmental contract. In early July, the Sparks upgraded her to a standard contract, and she played 17 games for the season. However, Martin's 7.1 minutes per game with Los Angeles didn't give much room for a stats explosion, and her numbers dropped to averages of 2.3 points, 1.1 rebounds, and less than an assist per game.
One can only hope that the former Iowa Hawkeyes senior, who was a captain alongside Clark, can find success in Chicago after moving from team to team over the past three years. The WNBA is currently on a break as various players play on rosters in the FIFA Women's World Cup, a basketball tournament in Berlin, Germany, in the next several weeks. The Sky have their first game back on Sept. 17 when they host the Washington Mystics in Chicago.
More news: Team USA Gets Bad News on A’ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum for FIBA Women’s World Cup For more about the WNBA, head over to Newsweek Sports.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
