Valkyries Clash Over Kate Martin Ruling in Historic WNBA Opener

Following five years of collegiate basketball with the Iowa Hawkeyes, Kate Martin was chosen in the second round of the 2024WNBA Draft by the Las Vegas Aces.

In her rookie season, Martin earned substantial minutes with numerous injuries to the Aces, becoming a fan favorite in the process. When players started getting healthy, her minutes began to decrease. She finished the year averaging  2.6 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.9 assists in 34 games played.

However, Martin's time with Las Vegas concluded after just one season when she was chosen by the Golden State Valkyries during the December expansion draft.

On Tuesday night, the Valkyries played their first-ever WNBA game, hosting the Los Angeles Sparks at Chase Center in the preseason opener. And with the inaugural game comes their first starting lineup, but Golden State elected to bring Martin off the bench.

The Valkyries' initial starting lineup includes Kayla Thornton, Veronica Burton, Temi Fagbenle, Monique Billings and Tip Hayes.

A lot of WNBA supporters expressed their dissatisfaction over Golden State's decision to bench Martin from the starting lineup, voicing their opinions on social media platforms.

"Kate Martin, don’t even begin 😕," a fan commented. said .

What do you mean Kate Martin isn't playing for World of Warcraft? wrote another.

"how kate the face of the franchise not starting," added a third.

Laughing my head off, Kate Martin is still coming off the bench? Now I'm truly puzzled, commented a fourth.

Having Kate Martin out of the lineup for the Valkyries is somewhat disappointing. posted a fifth.

"all that kate martin promotion bait and valkyries don’t even put her in their starting 5? (expletive) me," added a sixth.

After the Sparks match, Martin and the Valkyries will conclude their initial preseason with a game against the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday. The regular season will kick off for them on Friday, May 16, when they face Los Angeles once more.

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