Category: Blog Post

Martin’s former teammates all expressed congratulations on social media for her new move. 

Caitlin Clark, Martin’s former University of Iowa teammate and guard for the Indiana Fever, posted “Let’s go Kater!!!” on her IG story.

3-time WNBA MVP and Las Vegas Aces Center posted “My baby soooo happy for you! You are a gem” on her IG story.

Martin’s other Las Vegas Aces teammates, Chelsea Gray, Alysha Clark, and Sydney Colson, all tweeted their excitement and sadness at losing Kate as a teammate. While Martin expressed that it was bittersweet to be leaving the Aces’, she is also excited about this new opportunity to build a new franchise from the ground up. Her girlfriend posted a TikTok sharing where Martin was when she heard the news.

In what was a star-studded WNBA draft featuring women’s college basketball phenoms, Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, Kate Martin was the surprise number 18th pick in the 2nd round of the 2024 WNBA draft. While not a top contender in the draft, Martin’s high basketball IQ, defensive ability, and work ethic made her an asset not only to her college team but to the Aces as well. In an interview after the draft, Martin said “This is a dream come true, and to share it with Caitlin makes it even more special.”

The 6 foot tall, Illinois native dreamed of playing for the Iowa Hawkeyes and one day making it to the WNBA. The youngest of three siblings and daughter of two former athletes, Martin was a dedicated student and athlete. She started playing pickup basketball at age 5 at her local YMCA and attended summer basketball camps at University of Iowa. She even slept with the Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball poster above her childhood bed. After being recruited by Iowa in her junior year of high school, she accepted and received a full athletic scholarship. Martin played 5 seasons with the Hawkeyes finishing her collegiate career with 1,299 points, 756 rebounds, and 473 assists in 163 games. In May 2022, she graduated with her Bachelor’s degree in sports and recreation management.

As a rookie, she suited up for 34 games averaging 2.6 points and 1.6 rebounds playing an average of 11.6 minutes a game. However, she made headlines after a viral video showed her dance moves alongside her Aces’ teammates hyping her up during the pre-game warmup.

Martin’s new contract with the Valkyries has her projected to make roughly $68,000 in 2025 and $75,000 in 2026. Her contract ends after the 2026 season with a team option for 2027 before becoming a restricted free agent in 2028. 

In addition to Kate Martin, the Valkyries selected 10 players to finalize their roster, including Monique Billings from the Phoenix Mercury, Veronica Burton from the Connecticut Sun, Maria Conde from the Chicago Sky, Temi Fagbenle from the Indiana Fever, Carla Leite from the Dallas Wings, Iliana Rupert from the Atlanta Dream, Stephanie Talbot from the Los Angeles Sparks, Kayla Thornton from the New York Liberty, Julie Vanloo from the Washington Mystics, and Cecilia Zandalasini from the Minnesota Lynx. They will also get the 5th pick in the 1st round of the 2025 WNBA Draft. 

Martin will also play in the first season of Unrivaled, the women’s 3-on-3 basketball league founded by WNBA stars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart. Players in the Unrivaled league will have the opportunity to make considerably more than they do from their WNBA contracts. The average salary is reportedly anticipated to be $250,000, which is comparable to the WNBA’s league-wide maximum salary and far greater than the average WNBA salary which rests at just $147,745.

Make sure y’all tune into the 2025 WNBA season to watch Money Martin suit up for the new Golden State Valkyries! And get into Unrivaled basketball to watch some intense 3v3 women’s basketball! We’ll be locked in – will you?

Historic Spotlight

Senda Berenson was born on March 19, 1868 in Russia. She immigrated to Boston, Massachusetts at just 7 years old.

She became a PE (physical education) instructor at the Smith College located in Northampton, Massachusetts. She studied the teachings of James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, and decided the girls in her class could benefit from learning how to play basketball.

Her goal was not only to teach them how to compete and become the best at the sport, but also to learn how to important team-building skills. She went on to host many games and tournaments. To combat stereotypes and criticism from her male counterparts that the sport was “too vigorous, manly or unhealthy” for women to play, she hosted the games in small sections across the court as opposed to using the full court. Despite her success, she and many other coaches of the sport had to go to great lengths to keep the players protected from scrutiny or worse being shut down by officials who thought that women did not deserve to play sports.

The first official game she organized took place in March of 1892. She held a scrimmage game, pitting the sophomores against the freshman. Berenson emphasized passing and cooperation with teammates over ball possession, which improved the team’s overall chemistry. It became such an exciting game that hundreds of schools across the country adopted the concept within just three years after that first game was played. The popularity of her games became a major selling point for women’s rights in sports and helped open the door for more opportunities for women and girls to play any sport of their choosing. Many women, especially those who are of African American or Native American descent, had to fight tooth and nail to protect themselves and their players from outsiders who wanted to stop women from playing. Despite their efforts, women’s basketball continued to grow, and Sendra Berenson went on to become the first woman to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1985, a whopping 11 years prior to the launch of the WNBA.

This pioneer for women also authored the first guide ever written for women’s basketball. She served as chairwomen on the Women’s Basketball Committee for 12 years. She was so committed that she continued to make amendments to her “Basketball Guide for Women” book. She is still considered to be the “Mother of Women’s Basketball” to this day. From Senda Berenson’s story to many others that came after her, they would likely be filled with tears of joy if they saw how far the world of women’s basketball has come. Even those who did not play but understood the racial and gender biases of those who did, those who lived through the Great Depression, Jim Crow, and the Civil Rights movement, would truly be in awe of how different the game of women’s sports is now. However, the work is far from over!