Valkyries Coach Sends Strong Message on Kate Martin
Valkyries Coach Sends Strong Message on Kate Martin originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Golden State Valkyries (5-5) have been one of the best stories of the 2025 WNBA season.
After starting 2-5, the 2025 expansion team is riding a three-game win streak heading into a week of games against the Dallas Wings, Indiana Fever and Connecticut Sun.
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However, with six players headed to compete in EuroBasket 2025, head coach Natalie Nakase will need some domestic players to step up as they face Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark this week.
To aid the backcourt, Golden State signed Bueckers' former teammate from their 2025 UConn NCAA championship team, Kaitlyn Chen.
One domestic player more likely to step into a bigger role is guard Kate Martin, who gave Nakase one of the easiest decisions that the coach has had with the Valkyries so far.
Golden State Valkyries guard Kate Martin (20) dribbles against the Las Vegas Aces during the second quarter at Chase Center.Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
Martin was selected by Golden State in the WNBA expansion draft from the Las Vegas Aces, where she spent her rookie season after playing with Clark in college at Iowa.
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From year one to year two, Martin has more than doubled her scoring average from 2.6 points per game to 6.2. She is also averaging nearly five more minutes per game.
"She was my No. 1 priority from Vegas," Nakase said. "In the expansion draft, we handpicked players that embody our culture: hard-working, mental toughness and ultra-competitive."
"Kate fits all of those," she continued. "Kate is our culture."
Martin, 25, put her skills together into two eye-catching performances off the bench this month. On June 1, she hit her career-high of 14 points in the first half against the Minnesota Lynx.
Less than a week later, she followed up with 12 points and seven rebounds in a season-high 26 minutes as the Valkyries dismantled her former team, the Aces.
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"My goal is always to make an impact and be a good teammate," Martin said. "No matter how big or small my role is, I'm doing the dang thing and trying to do it to the best of my ability."
Related: Caitlin Clark Makes Clear Statement on Stephanie White, Aliyah Boston Move
Related: Azzi Fudd's Personal Message to Paige Bueckers is Turning Heads
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 17, 2025, where it first appeared.
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