Kate Martin has quietly become one of the reasons the Golden State Valkyries look far better than most people expected in their first WNBA season.
The expansion squad wasn’t supposed to be anywhere near playoff talk this soon, yet they’re hanging in the upper half of the West and playing with a chemistry that’s caught the league off guard.
That togetherness shows up off the court, too. When rookie guard Kaitlyn Chen posted photos from her season on Instagram with the caption, “cannonball! 🧜♀️,” Martin was the first to jump in.
“First comment,” she wrote. A few minutes later: “First like.”
The back-and-forth felt small, but it reflects how Golden State’s players have been buying in for each other all year. On the floor, Martin has carved out a steady bench role at 6.2 points per game. Chen, meanwhile, is averaging 2.4 across 19 outings while on a rookie deal worth $66,079.
“Just controlling what I can control”: Kate Martin shows patience for big games for Valkyries
The Valkyries are holding onto the seventh seed with an 18-17 record. They’re just one game ahead of the Sparks (17-18), and with nine games left, the playoff race is tight.
For Kate Martin, the approach is simple—don’t sweat what she can’t control.
“For me personally, it’s just controlling what I can control,” she said. “It definitely depends if we have players out or not, depending on how many minutes, but I never try to focus on how many minutes I’m going to get.”
She leans on the details instead. “When I shift my focus more toward the defensive end, getting rebounds, and letting the game flow to me, that’s how I stay ready and make an impact on the court when I do get in.”
Sixteen minutes a night isn’t much, but Martin’s patience and energy have been steady for a team that’s already blown past outside expectations. If the Valkyries keep pushing, she’s one of the reasons why.
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.
