Los Angeles Sparks v Las Vegas Aces

Los Angeles Sparks v Las Vegas Aces

The Las Vegas Aces almost left rookie guard Kate Martin before the team’s game in Arlington on Wednesday against the Dallas Wings. Martin was caught on video running at full speed trying to catch the team bus as her teammates recorded the fiasco.

In a video uploaded by two-time MVP A’ja Wilson on her Instagram stories, Martin came out of a building and realized that the Aces bus was leaving the premises. She quickly made a run to catch the bus with all her might as Kierstan Bell’s laughter can be heard on the video.

“It’s @kbrofficial_ laugh in the back that kills me,” Wilson wrote.

Here’s the clip:

With Kate Martin being a rookie, it’s a case of old-fashioned hazing, which has been part of the NBA and WNBA over the years. It’s a harmless prank since the Las Vegas Aces won’t really leave Martin by herself before an important road game.

Kate Martin earning minutes as a rookie with the defending back-to-back champs

The Las Vegas Aces selected Kate Martin with the 18th overall pick in this year’s draft out of Iowa. Martin was mostly known as Caitlin Clark’s teammate, but she quickly gained minutes with the back-to-back defending WNBA champions.

With injuries to Kierstan Bell and Chelsea Gray, the Aces needed all the bodies they could play early in the season. Martin did not play in Las Vegas’ season opener against the Phoenix Mercury but has been in the court for 26, 14, 22, 21 and 21 minutes in their last five games.

Martin is averaging 5.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. She’s one of the rare rookies who cracked the rotation this season. She might not have the stats of her former superstar teammate from Iowa, but she’s part of the rotation of the two-time WNBA champions.

Kate Martin becoming a fan favorite in Las Vegas

Despite not having a lot of fanfare heading into the WNBA draft, Kate Martin has become a fan favorite by the Las Vegas Aces fanbase. Martin’s jersey sold after just her fourth game for the team. The team store had to re-stock her No. 20 jersey due to the demands.

In a recent interview, “Money” Martin acknowledged that she’s not a superstar and knows that she’s just a role player.

“They said, ‘You were drafted here for a reason. You don’t have to be anybody else, you don’t have to show out.’ … There are amazing players, star players, Olympic players on this roster. My role is to be a role player, someone who is going to support her teammates every day.”