Former Iowa standout Kate Martin found herself at the center of a whirlwind move in the 2026 WNBA season, as the Los Angeles Sparks announced her second waiver within the same campaign.
A career in flux
The franchise paired the waiver with a series of acquisitions, bringing in Aaliyah Nye off waivers and signing Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda and Shyanne Sellers to developmental deals, while also parting ways with Alissa Pili.
Earlier in the year, Martin had inked a player‑development contract with the Sparks on May 10 after being released by the expansion team Golden State Valkyries, a squad that had drafted her 18th overall in the 2024 draft.
Her breakout moment arrived on May 17, when she scored a season‑high 11 points in a loss to the Toronto Tempo, a performance that helped convince the front office to elevate her to a standard WNBA contract on July 6, marking the first such promotion in franchise history.
Despite the promotion, her minutes quickly eroded, with four consecutive games limited to five minutes or fewer and a final appearance of just four minutes on August 20 against the Atlanta Dream before she was ultimately waived.
Across 17 games with the Sparks, Martin posted a career‑low average of 2.3 points per game, underscoring the competitive nature of roster decisions in the league.
On the same day she was waived, Martin chose to re‑sign with Unrivaled Basketball, the 3‑on‑3 circuit co‑founded by WNBA All‑Stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, ensuring her participation in the 2027 season.
In the 2026 Unrivaled campaign she averaged 6.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game for Breeze BC, building on a 2025 stint with the Laces in which she posted 8.7 points and 5.2 rebounds per contest.
The moves reflect a broader trend of players navigating between the traditional WNBA structure and alternative platforms that promise different competitive and financial opportunities.