Photo by Ian Maule/NBAE via Getty Images
Martin should help drive considerable buzz around the new 3×3 basketball league given her enormous popularity.
Add Kate Martin to the list. Martin, fresh off of a rookie campaign with the Las Vegas Aces, is officially the latest addition to Unrivaled Basketball League, the new 3×3 women’s professional basketball that will take place during the WNBA offseason.
Martin becomes the 27th WNBA player to publicly commit to the league, joining an Unrivaled rookie class that already includes Angel Reese and Rickea Jackson. Her participation is a slam dunk for Unrivaled, as it’s sure to drive additional eyes to the league, while also helping organizers round out the final roster.
Unrivaled, co-founded by Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, is set to tip-off in January, and offers an alternative for players who might otherwise go overseas. The league has been branded as including the best basketball players in the world, all of whom will earn a minimum salary of $100,000, in addition to equity.
The full list of Unrivaled players now includes:
Allisha Gray (Dream), Angel Reese (Sky), Arike Ogunbowale (Wings), Azura Stevens (Sparks), Breanna Stewart (Liberty), Brittney Sykes (Mystics), Brittney Griner (Mercury), Chelsea Gray (Aces), Courtney Vandersloot (Liberty), Courtney Williams (Lynx), Dearica Hamby (Sparks), DiJonai Carrington (Sun), Jackie Young (Aces), Jewell Loyd (Storm), Kahleah Copper (Mercury), Kate Martin (Aces), Kayla McBride (Lynx), Kelsey Plum (Aces), Marina Mabrey (Sun), Napheesa Collier (Lynx), Natasha Cloud (Mercury), Rhyne Howard (Dream), Rickea Jackson (Sparks), Satou Sabally (Wings), Skylar Diggins-Smith (Storm), Shakira Austin (Mystics), and Tiffany Hayes (Aces).
Why Kate Martin in Unrivaled makes all the sense in the world
Kate Martin’s inclusion in Unrivaled has quickly been criticized by some given the fact that she’s not currently a Top 30 WNBA player. However, her participation makes a ton of sense for a number of reasons, including her enormous individual popularity — and the fact she’s a lot better than than people might realize.
For one, Martin is incredibly popular; she sold the fourth-most jerseys of any WNBA player, and will clearly be a massive draw for fans. Given that Unrivaled is a brand-new league with a lucrative media deal, the more popular players participating in the inaugural season, the better. Martin sold more jerseys than any player other than Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and Sabrina Ionescu.
Additionally, in just a few hours, the Tweet announcing her participation has already racked up more likes than 24 out of the 26 announcements — DiJonai Carrington and Rickea Jackson’s announcements went most viral, though Martin’s announcement could certainly become the most-liked in the coming hours. Martin also racked up the 12th most WNBA All-Star fan votes after the first voting returns.
Popularity aside, despite the fact she’s not as accomplished as most of Unrivaled’s committed players, Martin did play the 10th-most minutes among rookies. Martin’s popularity certainly exceeds her on-court accomplishments as a professional, but no matter how you slice it, she’s an all-around player that earned minutes on a roster of defending champions. She was also one of just four second-round picks to make the opening day roster.
“Her mind jumps off the page,” Aces head coach Becky Hammon told reporters earlier in the year. “She’s somebody who understands angles, being in the right place at the right time, making the right read. She’s built up a lot of trust already in the locker room and with us coaches. And at the end of the day, her try-hard factor is off the charts.”
The Las Vegas Aces rookie ultimately appeared in 34 games this season, averaging 2.6 points and 1.6 rebounds in 11.5 minutes per game. And, while she fell out of the postseason rotation, Martin maintained her gratitude for a successful rookie season.
Intentionally or not, Martin could also serve a draw for Caitlin Clark to participate. The former University of Iowa teammates’ friendship has been well-chronicled and it’s been reported that Unrivaled is doing everything possible to try and recruit Clark to play.
That being said, Martin has seemingly been committed to Unrivaled for a while now. When asked about her offseason plans by reporter Owen Siebring in August, Martin cryptically said: “I have plans. I’m just not sharing them yet.” While inclusion in Unrivaled is not a last-minute ploy to entice Clark to play, it could certainly have an impact.
For Martin’s standpoint, playing in Unrivaled also makes a ton of sense. She’ll join fellow Aces players Jackie Young, Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum, and Tiffany Hayes in Miami, and earn substantially more money than she did as a rookie. She’ll also get to work on her game stateside, play on TNT two nights a week, and try out a new style of basketball. The announcement appears to be a win-win for both the brand-new league and the versatile 24-year-old who just wants to play as much basketball as possible.
