After spending most of the 2026 WNBA season with Los Angeles, the Sparks announced on Aug. 29 that they have waived former Iowa women's basketball guard Kate Martin.
This marks the second time that the former Hawkeye has been waived by a WNBA team this season, as the Golden State Valkyries parted ways with her
on May 7. After the Valkyries cut her in May, she signed a player development contract with the Sparks and played well enough that Los Angeles signed her to standard contract on June 6.Unfortunately for Martin, she did not get the same playing time on her standard contract as she did on the player development deal with the Sparks, which made her increasingly expendable for a Los Angeles franchise now looking to build around its young core.
Thank you, Kate Martin! pic.twitter.com/9tP61fUu1A
— Los Angeles Sparks (@LASparks) August 29, 2026
In total, Martin averaged 2.3 points and 1.1 rebounds per game on 37.1% shooting and 30.8% from 3-point distance across 17 games played for the Sparks.
With her WNBA future now uncertain, Martin hopes to join one of the 14 other franchises before the end of the regular season as the league enters its built-in pause for the 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup.
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Former Hawkeye Kate Martin waived by Los Angeles Sparks
