The Golden State Valkyries pulled away late on Sunday, dropping the Indiana Fever 75-63 at Chase Center. For Kate Martin, it was another victory over her old teammate, Caitlin Clark, keeping her record against Indiana spotless.
Clark wasn’t in uniform, still sidelined by a groin injury, but her name surfaced anyway—thanks to Claire Kittle. The wife of San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle, and a former Iowa standout herself, Claire made sure Clark got her flowers.
The Valkyries’ official Instagram highlighted a courtside crew of 49ers—George, Kyle Juszczyk, rookie Ricky Pearsall, plus their wives. The caption read:
“Faithful to Ballhalla ⚔️ Shoutout to our 49ers neighbors @gkittle, @juicecheck44, @ricky.pearsall, @clairekittle, @kristinjuszczyk, and @torimoraga for pulling up to Chase Center tonight!”
Claire shared the post, then slipped in a quick add-on of her own: “But also Caitlin.” It was a short line, but a meaningful nod from one Hawkeye alum to another.
On the floor, Martin carried the Iowa banner instead. The rookie chipped in 10 points with two rebounds across 15 minutes, keeping Golden State in playoff position during the franchise’s first full season.
“Proud of you”: Caitlin Clark sends heartfelt message to former Iowa teammate
After the buzzer, she and Caitlin Clark reunited for photos. Clark later posted one to her Instagram story, writing: “Proud of you,” with Martin tagged. The two once shared Iowa’s backcourt during the program’s best stretch, making consecutive national title games in 2023 and 2024.
Martin didn’t bring up Clark by name in her postgame remarks but admitted it felt good to see old friends.
“Um, yeah, it was good (to see Caitlin). Well, Gabbie Marshall, one of my best friends, was sitting courtside, too. So, that was really cool to see them there,” she said. “Iowa is always going to be home for me and to see the support George and Claire and you know, get to see old friends. That’s always really fun.”
For more basketball content, click on Hardwood Heroics. Sabel Reyes can be reached through sabelreyes22@gmail.com. Other websites under the Sports Heroics umbrella are Gridiron Heroics and Wisconsin Heroics.
Sabel has been working as a field reporter for People’s Television Network (PTV), mainly about the Philippine Basketball Association since 2016 and has been elevated to Executive Producer for sports in 2022. Aside from being on top of the Philippine sports scene, she is also a running enthusiast. You can also follow her on X at @SabelReyes2 and Instagram at @msabelreyes.
