Kate Martin Signed for Rest of WNBL Season; Could Create Path Back to WNBA
It's been a wild ride for Kate Martin since being drafted in 2024. Starting there, Martin didn't even expect to be drafted that night, as she was there in support of then-teammate Caitlin Clark. The Las Vegas Aces took a chance on the feisty defender, selecting her in the second round and she became a locker room favorite.
After her fun-filled rookie season in Vegas, Martin was selected by the Golden State Valkyries in the 2025 expansion draft. She'd appear in 42 games for the Valkyries during their inaugural season and averaged 6.2 points with just under three rebounds per game. In May of 2026, Martin was shockingly waived by Golden State, where she'd then latch on with the Los Angeles Sparks until August. She was waived once more, finding a home in Chicago on a developmental contract for the remainder of the year.
Martin is now a free agent, but news broke today that she signed a deal with the Bendigo Spirit of the WNBL.
WNBA star Kate Martin has committed to the Bendigo Spirit as a Rostered Player for Abbey Wehrung, pending League approval 🤩
— WNBL (@WNBL) November 10, 2026
Read more: https://t.co/ssEJ3CuqDR pic.twitter.com/QTfLjMSF5w
Kate Martin signed to WNBL, seen working out with Valkyries champion Kaitlyn Chen
The WNBL announced Martin will join the Spirit for the remainder of the season in place of Abbey Wehrung. Martin won't be stepping into a favorable situation, as the Spirit are 0-5 currently and last in the standings. They're two years removed from winning the WNBL Finals and finished with a 16-7 record last season.
Martin will now be tasked with helping the Spirit climb out of a decently sized hole with 17 games remaining in the season, as she was signed for the remainder of the WNBL year. Hopefully this will give Martin more reps as she continues her development.
Love this for Martin. The WNBL has been great for helping develop WNBA players in the offseason. We’ve seen what the league has done for players like WNBA champion Veronica Burton, Naz Hillmon and Han Xu. https://t.co/l4HjzCm1Aq
— Khristina (@Khristina) November 10, 2026
Playing overseas is common for WNBA players, even after the pay raise. Last offseason, Kaitlyn Chen played in Prague following the Valkyries 2025 campaign. Speaking of Chen, she and Martin were seen working out together recently, both wearing CC1s.
Kaitlyn Chen wearing the Cave Stone and Kate Martin Wearing the Midnight Fever CC1s 👀 https://t.co/3vOtyuskmh
— luna (@lunasf4vs) November 10, 2026
Gaining more playing time overseas will ideally help Martin's case for at least earning a training camp invite for the next WNBA season. Free agency is set to start at the end of January, so there's about two and a half months for Martin to produce some solid film for WNBA coaches to see. She has qualities that aren't teachable, ones that coaches admire. This is an opportunity for her to refine those, while also providing more value moving forward.
Martin will be searching for her fifth WNBA team in four seasons.
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Andrew Parsaud covers the WNBA and the Indiana Fever for On SI. With a bachelor’s degree in digital journalism and media from Penn State, he also specializes in digital content creation. Caitlin Clark and the Fever are now where his passion and expertise meet.
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