Sparks reserve guard Kate Martin, who is a fan favorite dating back to playing with Caitlin Clark at Iowa, focuses on contributing.
Sparks guard Kate Martin, middle, celebrates with teammates Kelsey Plum and Dearica Hamby after scoring and drawing a foul during the second half of a game against the Dallas Wings on Friday, June 5, 2026, at Crypto.com Arena.
LOS ANGELES — Fan favorite Kate Martin is halfway through her developmental contract with the Los Angeles Sparks after scoring five points off the bench in the team’s“I literally can not do a single thing about that,” Martin said, “so all I can do is show up and work my butt off and have a good attitude about it and cheer for my teammates. It’s bigger than me. This isn’t about me.
This is about the team, so whatever way I can make an impact, I’m going to, and so I’m going to leave those decisions up to people who make those decisions. ” The Sparks had five players reach double figures in the scoring column: Kelsey Plum , Ariel Atkins , Dearica Hamby , Nneka Ogwumike and Cameron Brink , but gave up 100 or more points for the third time this season.
All three times that has happened, they have been defeated by at least eight points. The Sparks, who are on a three-game losing streak, are aiming to close out a three-game homestand with a win against the Portland Fire, one of the league’s two new expansion teams. Both teams are sitting just outside of top eight playoff contention, about a quarter of the way through the regular season.
Los Angeles was 8-1 against Portland when a previous version of the team was in the league from 2000 to 2002. Portland is coming off a 78-72 loss at home to the Phoenix Mercury on Friday. Former Sparks guard Sarah Ashlee Barker, a 2025 first-round pick who was selected by the Fire in April’s expansion draft, led the way with 15 points and seven rebounds.
Meanwhile, Martin believes she and her fellow reserves can influence the outcome of upcoming games.
“I think it’s really important,” Martin said. “We can’t just rely on our starters. Our bench players need to come in and make an impact, whether that’s defensively or offensively, but knowing what our role is and maximizing that and doing it to the best of our ability. I think our bench can step up in that way for sure.
It’s really important. ” Martin, who averages 3.0 points in 8 minutes per game, turned 26 on Friday. In a limited sample size, she’s shooting 53.8% from the field, including 44.4% from 3-point range. The third-year guard, who became a fan favorite while playing at Iowa alongside Caitlin Clark, is at the halfway point of the 12-game maximum that players on WNBA developmental contracts can play before being converted to a standard full-season contract.
She was drafted in the second round by the Las Vegas Aces in 2024 and selected by the Golden State Valkyries in the 2025 expansion draft, before being waived by Golden State during training camp last month. She was signed by the Sparks a few days later.
“I feel very grateful that I’ve been activated for six games,” Martin added. “I feel grateful that they’re using me in that way, and so I think this role is a lot about rolling with the punches and kind of going with the flow and then being ready when your name is called.
I think I’m learning that, and I’m doing that to the best of my ability, and that’s all I can really do is control what I can control, and for the future, who knows what’s going to happen, but I know I’m going to be ready no matter what. ”Friday’s loss to the Wings marked the return of Kelsey Plum, who is leading the league in scoring at 26.9 points per game.
She’s also averaging 6.3 assists, which is seventh in the league. The four-time All-Star and two-time WNBA champion explained what she wanted to bring back to the Sparks starting lineup before Friday’s contest.
“Just competitiveness, toughness, competing in all four quarters,” Plum said. “Putting together a full game. ” Plum delivered and scored 27 points and dished out six assists in her return after missing three games with a sprained right ankle. Part of her rehab was sleeping in a hyperbaric chamber, among other recovery methods.
“You see how tough she is to guard,” Sparks coach Lynne Roberts said. “They really struggled to keep her in front of them. I think she was consciously trying to get other people involved as well, especially in that first half. She just brings a level of confidence to the whole group offensively. She’s a competitor and she makes us better. ”
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