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The wait is finally over. The Golden State Valkyries will finally make their long-awaited WNBA debut, and while it's just the preseason, it still marks the beginning of an era.
Notably, this will also mark the start of a new challenge for former Iowa star Kate Martin, who joined the team through the expansion draft after her rookie campaign with the Las Vegas Aces.
Martin will reportedly come off the bench for the Valkyries in Tuesday night's game vs. the LA Sparks, but she should still have plenty of scoring opportunities. She was used primarily as a corner shooter, and she will be crucial to the Valkyries' pace-and-space offense.
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She's put in a lot of work to develop her game in the offseason, even joining Unrivaled to play for Laces BC ahead of her second campaign in the league.
Kate Martin is ready for a new challenge
Kate Martin was a bit of a surprise pick a couple of years ago. She was reportedly in the draft venue just to support Caitlin Clark when the Aces took her in the second round of the 2024 WNBA Draft.
Of course, she didn't get much playing time early on, averaging just 2.6 points and 11.5 minutes per game while shooting 35.5% from beyond the arc. Still, she showed glimpses of her elite shooting stroke when Chelsea Gray was out with an injury, driving her 3-point shooting average to 37.0%.
Martin entered the league to join an established team full of veterans. Now, she will have a bigger role behind starting SG Tiffany Hayes, and she won't be eased into the action:
"I keep telling myself, 'You're meant for change,'" Martin told the Daily Republic. "'You're meant for new things. You're meant for challenges.' And it's been really fun to be able to challenge myself to see how quick I can pick up on things or adjust. ... At the end of the day, basketball is basketball. And so it's not like I'm playing a brand new game."
Martin was an instant fan favorite in Las Vegas, but her lights-out 3-point shooting might turn her into a star in San Francisco.
