Kate Martin has found a new home in professional women’s basketball.
The Women's National Basketball League in Australia announced on Tuesday, Nov. 10 that Martin has signed with the Bendigo Spirit for the rest of the 2026-27 season. The team plays its home games in Victoria and features a handful of players who, like Martin, have WNBA experience, such as Isobel Borlase of the Atlanta Dream.
For Martin, the former All-Big Ten guard at Iowa, the news of her signing comes a few weeks after it was announced that she would not be playing in Unrivaled this season.
“I’ve heard great things about the WNBL and the standard of basketball in Australia, so I’m looking forward to challenging myself in a new environment,” Martin said in a statement. “Bendigo
has a really talented group and a strong team culture, and I’m excited to get to work, meet my teammates and hopefully contribute to another successful season.”
The Spirit signed Martin as a replacement player for Abbey Wehrung, who is expecting her first child. Martin will report to the team this Friday, Nov. 13.
“She’s a tough competitor, a strong defender and a very capable outside shooter, but what really stands out is her basketball IQ, leadership and willingness to do whatever the team needs,” Spirit general manager Dan Jackson said in a statement. “She’s played alongside some of the biggest names in the game and has built a reputation as an outstanding teammate, which is something we really value here at Bendigo.
Martin’s 2026 WNBA season was full of twists and turns. Ultimately, she was unable to find a consistent role with a team this year.
The Iowa product was waived by the Golden State Valkyries on May 7, joined the Los Angeles Sparks for 17 games before being waived in August, then signed a developmental contract with the Chicago Sky and appeared in two games with the club. She averaged 2.6 points in 7.7 minutes per game this season.
After helping the Caitlin Clark-powered Iowa Hawkeyes play in back-to-back national championship games, Martin was selected with the 18th overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft by the Las Vegas Aces. After playing 11.5 minutes per game across 34 contests as a rookie, the Aces left her unprotected in the 2025 expansion draft, where she was selected sixth by the Valkyries.
Martin averaged 6.2 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists across 42 games in her second WNBA season with the Valkyries, but the eventual champions waived her before the start of this past season. In 13 Unrivaled games with the Breeze last season, Martin averaged 6.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: WNBA fan favorite Kate Martin signs with team in Australia
