“It was weird. I’m not gonna lie.” Kate Martin defined the night as she went against Caitlin Clark. Tonight, not just two 2024 Iowa draftees went against each other, but it was a battle between two best friends. Caitlin Clark, who tried to push Indiana to another win, locked horns with Kate Martin, the Las Vegas Aces rookie. But before they could do that, the former Hawkeyes duo had another plan. Something that Martin bailed on Clark for.

According to Caitlin Clark, the No. 20 of Las Vegas was supposed to join her for a joint pregame press conference. However, when Martin did not show up, the 2x NPOY continued alone. But she did laugh and say, “She bailed, that’s your headline.” The very obvious question was how the two have stayed connected despite the distance. The Fever rookie responded, “Kate’s obviously one of my best friends. Somebody that was with me all four years at Iowa. I was the person that kinda begged her to come back for her sixth year. I’m sure she doesn’t regret that at this point. We’ve talked every single day. I call her if not texted her every single day. I’m just really happy for her.”

Adding some more praise for the former teammate, Clark said, “Everything coach Hammon says about her is just so true, and every single person that played at Iowa and was around our program knows that to be true.” The NCAA’s all-time leading scorer also added, “She’s the ultimate teammate, she’s the ultimate person, ultimate leader, she’s going to do whatever she can for her team, just super unselfish person, and just honestly she’s just a winner. She has that personality about her. She was not just my teammate but also one of my best friends. You know, I’ve been lucky.”

Previously, Kate Martin had also talked about her continued special relationship with Caitlin Clark. Since both of them are facing the same situation of transitioning quickly from college to the professional league, it is only practical to stay in each other’s company for a better understanding of the W. But them finally meeting after the draft night was a pure moment of friendship.

Caitlin Clark and Kate Martin share a long hug before picking axes

There is no denying that after being alongside someone for four long years, going against them can be quite tricky. But both the former Hawkeyes handled their emotions impeccably when on the floor. However, before that, they had all smiles and long hugs for each other. Indiana reached the Michelob ULTRA Arena to warm up and soon, the Aces too followed them. Consequently, both Caitlin Clark and Kate Martin shared a deep hug after the Fever rookie ran to her.

The joyous moment definitely took back to the time when the 2x Naismith Player of the Year met Nika Muhl of Seattle Storm. The X account of Las Vegas Aces quickly posted the connection on their page. They captioned the tweet, “Just a couple of @IowaWBB turned pro 🥹 Kate x Caitlin.”

It is great to see how the two have evolved together during their time at Iowa. And even in the W, they have each other’s support to go through the rough transition. Although the night did not go as planned for the Fever, it is sure that their tiredness may have reduced after the wholesome moment. Caitlin Clark and Co. reached Paradise within 24 hours of their first win against the Sparks.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato had to say about the marketing genius, watch this video.