As her first season in the WNBA progresses, Caitlin Clark is receiving support from a former teammate and fellow rookie.
When speaking to the media on Monday, Las Vegas Aces guard Kate Martin came to the defense of Clark — her close friend and four-year Iowa teammate — and the pressure created by those on the outside.
“Caitlin’s phenomenal, and she’s having a great rookie season. I think people are really hard on her and expecting her to be perfect,” Martin said. “That’s unrealistic, right?”
Martin also extolled Clark’s qualities off the court and said that she’d always have her back.
“She’s a phenomenal person; she’s a phenomenal player,” Martin said. “I’m going to support her through everything.”
Clark and Martin played together on the Hawkeyes from 2020-24, with both starting all 139 games the team played in that span.
As Clark won two National Player of the Year awards and broke college basketball’s all-time scoring record, Martin was there as her backcourt mate literally every step.
The two took Iowa to unprecedented heights, reaching consecutive national championship games.
After the Hawkeyes’ loss to South Carolina in this year’s title matchup, Clark was taken No. 1 overall by the Indiana Fever in the 2024 WNBA Draft.
Martin, who attended the draft to support Clark, was also picked somewhat unexpectedly by the Aces in the second round.
Clark has had a strong start to her pro career, averaging 16.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game on 39.9 percent shooting.
Last week, Clark was unveiled as the second-ranked player in the WNBA’s All-Star Game voting.
Meanwhile, Martin has been a decent bench force in Las Vegas.
Across 13 games played (with one start), the 6-foot guard is averaging four points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game on an average of 17.2 minutes per contest for the two-time defending champs.
Clark and Martin first squared off against each other on May 25, with the Aces prevailing over the Fever 99-80.
The Hawkeye greats will next face each other on July 2.
