{"id":12883,"date":"2026-06-06T21:31:43","date_gmt":"2026-06-06T21:31:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=12883"},"modified":"2026-06-06T21:31:43","modified_gmt":"2026-06-06T21:31:43","slug":"kate-martins-developmental-contract-is-halfway-over-as-sparks-prepare-to-host-portland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=12883","title":{"rendered":"Kate Martin\u2019s developmental contract is halfway over as Sparks prepare to host Portland"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

LOS ANGELES \u2014 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\u2019s 104-96 loss at home to the Dallas Wings on Friday.<\/p>\n

Read more You won\u2019t find a sweeter dog than little June Bug<\/a><\/p>\n

Martin said she knows what happens next, possibly in late June, is out of her control.<\/p>\n

\u201cI literally can not do a single thing about that,\u201d Martin said, \u201cso 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\u2019s bigger than me. This isn\u2019t about me. This is about the team, so whatever way I can make an impact, I\u2019m going to, and so I\u2019m going to leave those decisions up to people who make those decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Sparks had five players reach double figures in the scoring column: Kelsey Plum (27), Ariel Atkins (16), Dearica Hamby (15), Nneka Ogwumike (13) and Cameron Brink (10), 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust knowing,\u201d Hamby said, \u201cwe shouldn\u2019t be helping ball side. That\u2019s a rule.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s expansion draft, led the way with 15 points and seven rebounds.<\/p>\n

However, Portland struggled, shooting just 42% from the field, making 24 of 57 attempts.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Meanwhile, Martin believes she and her fellow reserves can influence the outcome of upcoming games.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s really important,\u201d Martin said. \u201cWe can\u2019t just rely on our starters. Our bench players need to come in and make an impact, whether that\u2019s 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\u2019s really important.\u201d<\/p>\n

Martin, who averages 3.0 points in 8 minutes per game, turned 26 on Friday. In a limited sample size, she\u2019s shooting 53.8% from the field, including 44.4% from 3-point range.<\/p>\n

Read more Greg Hulsizer named CEO of USA Surfing, governing body for the sport at LA28 Olympics<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m living out my dream right now, so I can\u2019t ask for much more than that,\u201d Martin continued.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel very grateful that I\u2019ve been activated for six games,\u201d Martin added. \u201cI feel grateful that they\u2019re 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\u2019m learning that, and I\u2019m doing that to the best of my ability, and that\u2019s all I can really do is control what I can control, and for the future, who knows what\u2019s going to happen, but I know I\u2019m going to be ready no matter what.\u201d<\/p>\n

WNBA\u2019s leading scorer did not miss a beat in her return<\/h4>\n

Friday\u2019s loss to the Wings marked the return of Kelsey Plum, who is leading the league in scoring at 26.9 points per game. She\u2019s also averaging 6.3 assists, which is seventh in the league.<\/p>\n

The four-time All-Star and two-time WNBA champion explained what she wanted to bring back to the Sparks starting lineup before Friday\u2019s contest.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust competitiveness, toughness, competing in all four quarters,\u201d Plum said. \u201cPutting together a full game.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

She was not on a minutes restriction but played a season-low 33 minutes.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou see how tough she is to guard,\u201d Sparks coach Lynne Roberts said. \u201cThey 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\u2019s a competitor and she makes us better.\u201d<\/p>\n

PORTLAND (6-6) AT SPARKS (4-6)<\/h4>\n

When: Sunday, 4 p.m.<\/p>\n

Where: Crypto.com Arena<\/p>\n

TV: Spectrum SportsNet, NBATV<\/p>\n

\n

Kate Martin on reaching the halfway point of her developmental contract with the Los Angeles Sparks. #WNBA pic.twitter.com\/NI8Y7sMIT3<\/p>\n

Read more Who could resist malamute Chevy\u2019s sweet smile?<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) June 6, 2026<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sparks reserve guard Kate Martin, who is a fan favorite dating back to playing with Caitlin Clark at Iowa, focuses on contributing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12882,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12883","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-based-on-facts-either-observed-and-verified-directly-by-the-reporter-or-reported-and-verified-from-knowledgeable-sources","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nKate Martin\u2019s developmental contract is halfway over as Sparks prepare to host Portland - Silicon Valley Moving Post<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=12883\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Kate Martin\u2019s developmental contract is halfway over as Sparks prepare to host Portland - 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