IN PHOTOS: Former Iowa player pulls up to support Aces star Kate Martin during WNBA matchup
Former Iowa star Kate Martin got an unexpected visit from her Hawkeyes teammate and friend during a WNBA game on Sunday. Zion Sanders, a Towson Tigers women's basketball assistant coach, was in the house as Martin's Las Vegas Aces took on the Washington Mystics at Entertainment & Sports Arena in Washington.
Sanders, who played with Martin for a season, met her before the game and shared some of their photos on her Instagram story.
"Had to pull up and see my bestie live her dream. Proud of ya each and every day. Love ya KMart," Sanders captioned the story.
Martin then reposted Sanders' story on her own account with two heart emojis.
The 6-foot guard played nine minutes in the game against the Mystics, coming off the bench. She scored three points, grabbed two rebounds and made two assists. Las Vegas had a comfortable 88-79 win over Washington, with forward A'ja Wilson being the top scorer for the Aces, recording 28 points and 17 rebounds.
Martin, the 18th overall pick in the 2024 WNBA draft by Las Vegas, has appeared in 22 games, starting one. She has put up 3.6 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.
Caitlin Clark hilariously mocks Kate Martin after Fever-Lynx game
Kate Martin, an Edwardsville, Illinois, native, has always been supportive of her former Iowa teammate Caitlin Clark. Their ex-Hawkeyes teammate Monika Czinano was among the crowd during the Indiana Fever and Minnesota Lynx matchup on Saturday.
Clark posted a picture with Czinano on her Instagram story and jokingly asked Martin if she was jealous.
Clark finished the game with 17 points, six assists and three rebounds as the Fever defeated the Lynx 81-74.
Kate Martin and Caitlin Clark were the only two players from Iowa who made it into the WNBA this season. Early this July, the Aces rookie spoke with USA Today and shared her thoughts on having Clark play in the league alongside her.
"It’s so rare in this league for two people from the same team to both make it, unless you go to UConn or South Carolina or something, there’s so many of them in the league. It’s really nice to have one of your best friends going through a similar experience," Martin said.
Martin and Clark played together at Iowa for four seasons. Their combined effort led the Hawkeyes to reach the NCAA championship games in 2023 and 2024, but they failed on both occasions.