Beyond the highlight plays or the flashy three-pointers, sometimes it’s just a heartwarming moment that takes center stage in the WNBA. Wednesday’s interaction between two Iowa teammates, Caitlin Clark and Kate Martin, at the Crypto.com Arena was one such moment. The Indiana Fever beat the LA Sparks, but it was that brief interaction between the two that caught the fans’ attention. Now, CC herself has shared a three-word message for Martin after this reunion.
It was after Fever’s 87-78 win over the Sparks that Clark met Martin on the sidelines, who was in her regular uniform since she wasn’t playing. The two shared a warm hug to showcase their close relationship. The WNBA even shared a glimpse of this meetup on their Instagram handle.
“A bond never broken,” the caption read. Clark, in turn, shared this post on her Instagram story while adding a caption to re-establish the bond she shared with Martin. “My best fran,” CC remarked in her caption.
Now, for those who don’t know, Clark and Martin were the two stalwarts of the Iowa Hawkeyes team during their stint between 2020 and 2024. They were a crucial part of the team’s back-to-back Championship game appearances. And even entered the WNBA in the same draft.
While Clark got most of the prominence as the No.1 draft pick, Martin settled in quietly with the Las Vegas Aces for the season. But just a year later, she moved to the Golden State Valkyries via the expansion draft in 2025, where she had a decent season in the limited minutes she got.
In 2026, the Valkyries waived her off before the season tip-off, allowing the LA Sparks to claim her and sign her to their developmental pool. Caitlin Clark, on the other hand, has just gone from strength to strength with the Fever in recent years, becoming their franchise cornerstone in a sense.
They have also faced each other quite a few times in the pro circuit. Yet despite that, the bond between the two has remained the same. They are often said to have kept close tabs on each other, despite their busy endeavors with respective teams.
In fact, last season, when Martin was playing for the Valkyries, Clark had remarked that she tried to follow Martin’s team despite the time zone difference.
“I watch quite a few of their games, most that I can,” Clark said. “It’s sometimes a little too late for me. I only catch sometimes just the first half. But it’s great to see.”
Fast forward to the 2026 season, and Caitlin Clark and Kate Martin’s situations in their respective teams are immensely different.
Caitlin Clark and Kate Martin’s Contrasting Aspirations for the Season
Clark and Martin’s graphs never really intersected after college. Immediately after Clark transitioned to the WNBA, she took the pro circuit just like a fish to the water. In her WNBA Rookie of the Year-winning season, CC became the hottest prospect in the league.
The confidence these successes have given her also aligns perfectly with her aspirations from her pro career. In a recent interview, Clark boldly claimed that her only goal is to win the coveted Championship title.
“One of the most important things somebody ever said to me is you’ve reached this point, but as you continue to grow, the thing you have to do is be able to win,” she said. “I feel like that’s the point I’m kind of at now. You have to be able to win. That’s my main focus, winning and winning a championship. Everything else will come along with that.”
On the other hand, Martin is still trying to fit into the WNBA system. Her stint with the Valkyries did yield her some impressive numbers. She scored over 6 points per game in a season where she mostly came off the bench. This season, she can only be activated for 12 games, being a developmental player.
But even in that regard, she wants to be the best in the league from the developmental pool. “I think my role right now is the best developmental player in the league,” Martin said. “Possibly get extra workouts, be a great teammate, and do what the team needs me to do. Be a hype woman on the bench, that’s my role.”
In the LA Sparks game on Wednesday, Caitlin Clark fared quite impressively. The Fever guard recorded a team-high 24 points as the Fever took home a much-needed win. On the other hand, Martin sat on the sidelines, seeing her team concede a home defeat.
