Iowa’s Kate Martin Is Thriving in Unrivaled—And She’s Proving Everyone Wrong

Towards the end of last year, Illinois native Kate Martin turned Iowa superstar announced that she would be joining the inaugural season of a brand new women's basketball league called Unrivaled.

Wait, what makes this new sports association different from the WNBA? Isn't it full of all the same players.

Well, sort of...

Unrivaled consists of the best of the best players from the WNBA playing in 3-on-3 gameplay amongst six different basketball clubs in Miami.

This concept is making history because it offers players the highest average salary in professional women's sports league history.

Normally during the WNBA off season, players are shipped off to play in other leagues abroad. Now, a good chunk of them actually have a choice in whether they can stay in the United States, build up their momentum and brand, and be closer to family.

They have the option to stay which is a powerful thing for many of these players.

The league was founded by WNBA titans Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, and is actually owned by all of the players who participate.

As explained on the official Unrivaled website, "A league owned by players, Unrivaled athletes will have equity and a vested interest in its success."

The six different basketball clubs in Unrivaled include:

• Phantom
• Lunar Owls
• Rose
• Mist
• Vinyl
• Laces

While Collier and Stewart are the founders, they are also some of the thirty-six players that play on these teams.

Some of the other notable names are Aaliyah Boston, Angel Reese, Brittney Griner, Cameron Brink, Sabrina Ionescu, and of course...Iowa's own Kate "Money" Martin.

Kate Martin Is Finally Getting Some Playing Time In Unrivaled

When "the glue" of the Iowa Hawkeyes went out to the WNBA Draft in New York City, she was only going to support her teammate and best friend Caitlin Clark.

Everyone was predicting that Clark would be selected number one overall in the draft after her record breaking senior year with Iowa.

While everyone was proven right when it came to Caitlin Clark's high draft selection, many people had no clue that Kate Martin would also be joining the W.

In a surprise turn of events, Martin was selected as a second round draft pick, being selected eighteen overall by the reigning champs at the time, the Las Vegas Aces.

While Martin didn't get a large amount of playing time, she did make an impact. The Aces shared their love for their rookie publicly.

A'ja Wilson and Kate developed a special relationship, with the duo even developing an adorable secret pre-game handshake.

The team even gave the Iowa alum a pink unicorn bag that was dubbed her "rookie backpack."

@lvaces Sorry, rook 😆🎒 but rules are rules! #ALLINLV #KateMartin ♬ original sound - Las Vegas Aces

Martin made an impact on the Aces’ team culture, though her playing time was limited.

When you have the 2024 WNBA MVP Wilson and league legend Kelsey Plum on the roster, you're not going to see too much time on the court.

According to a report from the Las Vegas Sun, she averaged 11.5 minutes and 2.6 points over 34 games. Martin did end up starting one time during her rookie season. At the end of December, it was announced that the rook would be leaving the nest. An expansion draft for the Golden State Valkyries, caused Kate to be enlisted to join this brand new team in California.

Read more about this major moment for Kate Martin here!

After going from Iowa to Vegas to San Francisco, you'd think that maybe this 24-year-old would want to rest up during the off season. Once again, Martin defied expectations.

Right around the same time of the expansion draft announcement, it was revealed that Kate "Money" Martin would be joining some of the other vets in the new Unrivaled league. Martin was drafted to the Laces basketball club.

The head coach for the team is Andrew Wade. "The Glue" is in good company. Her teammates include: Ashley McBride of the Minnesota Lynx, Jackie Young and Tiffany Hayes of the Aces, Stefanie Dolson of the New York Liberty, and Alyssa Thomas of the Connecticut Sun.

If you're familiar with women's basketball, you know that this is an absolutely stacked lineup. As of Monday, January 27th the Laces maintained their undefeated status with a 4-0 record for the season.

This success is in no small part owed to Iowa's very own Kate Martin. Now that Martin's getting more love and attention after her rookie season, it's clear that the Laces BC are utilizing her killer fundamentals and game knowledge.

The Golden State Valkyrie scored in the double digits in the first three games of the season, according to the Des Moines Register. In the most recent game played on Monday (Game 4) Martin played fifteen minutes scored seven points, six rebounds, and four fouls, according to a report from Hawk Central.

During a matchup against the Vinyl last week, the Unrivaled announcers were even taking notice of just how much more game time the guard was seeing.

Even Courtney Williams of the Minnesota Lynx who is currently playing for the Lunar Owls in this new league hopped in on this. Williams showered the WNBA rookie with a whole lot of praise.

"We don't really get to see much of her in the W, so the fact that we're able to see more of her game now… that's the most I've ever seen of her," the WNBA All-Star said. "I'm impressed with her, man!"

As Money Martin stole the ball and made her way down court, she passed to her former Aces teammate Hayes, who bounced it back to her so she can drive in and score.

"Look! I spoke her up!" Williams remarked as the ball fell through the net.

There is about a month and a half left of gameplay before the season comes to an end on March 17th. With only a few more weeks left, I know we're all looking forward to seeing what else Kate gets up to.

Keep an eye on the official game, team, and player stats by checking out the official Unrivaled page.

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