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Kate Martin became the biggest surprise in Monday's WNBA Draft at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Having gone primarily to support her friend and former Iowa teammate Caitlin Clark, she suddenly heard her name being called in the second round. She got up in excitement and hugged Clark's boyfriend, Connor McCaffery.
Martin then proceeded to hug some of her teammates sitting next to her while making her way to assistant coach Jan Jensen. After giving Jensen a hug, she made her way to the podium to acknowledge the fans cheering for her. The entire surprise was caught on camera and shared by ESPN’s Women's sports page on Instagram.
Here is the video of Kate Martin hugging Caitlin Clark’s boyfriend Connor McCaffery after being picked to play in the WNBA.
Martin was picked by the defending WNBA champions the Las Vegas Aces in the second round of the draft. While the Aces didn't have a first-round pick this year, they used the 18th overall pick to add the Iowa star to their roster. She expressed her happiness on getting the chance to showcase her talent at the professional level.
“I'm really happy to be here. I was here to support Caitlin. I was hoping to get my name called, all I wanted was an opportunity,” she told ESPN.
Clark, on the other hand, was the first name off the board after being picked by the Indiana Fever. No surprises there as she was expected to be the first overall pick this year. This also reunites her with her boyfriend who works for the NBA outfit the Indiana Pacers.
Kate Martin’s SNL appearance with Caitlin Clark
Caitlin Clark appeared on Saturday Night Live recently in its Weekend Update section. She roasted comedian Michael Che for her jokes on women's sports with some jokes on him. But another gesture by Clark won the hearts of many fans. The former Iowa star brought her teammates Kate Martin, Jada Gyamfi and Gabbie Marshall on stage for the closing credits of the April 13 episode.
SNL host Ryan Gosling mentioned Clark and the whole set erupted in loud cheers. But a closer look at the clip revealed that Martin, Marshall and Gyamfi were also present as the credits rolled in and Gosling bowed to all of them.
So Martin and Clark would be rivals in the WNBA now. But the night showed that they share a deep bond that goes beyond the basketball court.
