Kate Martin is a WNBA fan favorite for more reasons than one — including her ever-evolving fashion sense.
“I would definitely say like before coming into the league, I definitely thought you had to dress up every single time and that like it was a lot of pressure, and that stressed me out more than the actual basketball games,” Martin, 25, exclusively told Us Weekly earlier this month.
“But I realized, like, really you can make of it like what you want. And definitely the [Las Vegas] Aces players have really good style,” she continued. “And so, I, you know, I saw a lot of players last year dress up and had really cool outfits.”
Martin has more than made a name for herself since being selected as the No. 18 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft. The young hooper — one of Caitlin Clark’s best friends — joined the Las Vegas Aces last year and immediately began to impress fans both on and off the court.
Sarah Stier/Getty Images; Clive Mason/Getty Images WNBA star Cameron Brink is a big fan of tennis pro Coco Gauff. Brink, 22, opened up to ESPN about her pregame tunnel outfit ahead of the Los Angeles Sparks vs. Indiana Fever game on Tuesday, May 28, sharing that Gauff, 20, influenced the look. “I’m wearing my little […]
In December 2024, Martin was picked up by the Golden State Valkyries as part of the WNBA Expansion Draft. (The newest team in the league filled out its inaugural roster by drafting unprotected players from the rest of the WNBA, in addition to signing several athletes from overseas teams.)
While there are some players who really lean into the experience of dressing up before games — including her former Aces teammate A’ja Wilson and current Valkyries teammate Tiffany Hayes — Martin was thrilled to discover that not everyone puts a ton of emphasis on their game day fits.
In San Francisco, for example, some of Martin’s teammates “kind of just do whatever” they want in terms of pregame tunnel outfits. “I think that’s what’s cool,” Martin told Us.
Kate Martin Thien-An Truong/Getty Images
Though the Aces might have rocked impressive fits during her time on the team, Martin pointed to Hayes as someone who has inspired her own sense of creativity and fun when it comes to clothing. Hayes soft-launched her clothing line, Seyah Renara, in 2024.
Her teammate has “styled me a couple of times” with pieces from the line, Martin shared, adding that she thinks “it’s really cool that she has pursued this side of fashion.
“Like, she’s not just a basketball player, but you know, an entrepreneur, and it has really cool style,” she continued. “I also think [Washington Mystics player] Alysha Clark’s outfits, especially this year, have been phenomenal.”
Martin’s own evolving sense of style will continue to make an impact before WNBA games — and now fans can get in on the fun by replicating her outfits for themselves. Martin, Hayes and teammate Monique Billings have partnered with the online shopping platform Rakuten to make it possible for fans to buy items from their own tunnel fits, bringing the WNBA even more into their homes and lives.
That kind of community building is important to Martin, who described the Valkyries’ fans as “incredible.” The team — which has sold out every single home game at the Chase Center (or Ballhalla, as they’ve affectionately dubbed their home court) this season — is hyper-aware of how special the 18,000+ people who show up really are.
“I mean, it’s been phenomenal to see what our fan base was at the start of the season and what it is now,” Martin said. “And they’ve just been nothing but loyal and supportive to us. You know, they’re there from tip-off to the final buzzer at every single game, win, lose or whatever. And we really appreciate it.”
She continued, “And the atmosphere in Ballhalla is honestly like second to none. It’s been really fun to be able to play in front of such a loud crowd or such a supportive crowd. And I don’t think it’s like that everywhere else in the W. And so we feel really grateful that we get to play in front of a sold out crowd each night.”
