Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Kate Martin Had 2-Word Reaction To Caitlin Clark's TIME Magazine Cover

Originally posted on The Spun | By Matt Hladik | Last updated Dec 11, 2024 10:35 AM ET

Kate Martin and Caitlin Clark have had each other's backs on and off the court for years now.

The two were teammates at the University of Iowa and have remained close friends even as their WNBA careers have taken them to different cities. When Martin was recently selected by the Golden State Valkyries in the WNBA Expansion Draft after one season with the Las Vegas Aces, Clark had an encouraging message for her on social media.

Martin returned the favor on Tuesday, when Clark was revealed as TIME Magazine's Athlete of the Year, an honor that came with a cover story.

"The coolest," Martin wrote on her Instagram story, including one of Clark's photos for TIME.

This is a regular occurrence for Martin and Clark, who often hype each other up online when one of them receives good news. Back in the summer, Martin detailed how she was helping her friend deal with all of the expectations of being the most hyped rookie in WNBA history.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JULY 02: Former Iowa Hawkeyes teammates Kate Martin (L) #20 of the Las Vegas Aces and Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever joke around with each other on the court during warmups before their game at T-Mobile Arena on July 02, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada.Ethan Miller/Getty Images

“I don’t know if there’s too much I can do besides just be a friend, right? Be a listening ear and being there for her, ” Martin told Fox 5 News’ Paloma Villicana at the time. “Caitlin’s phenomenal, and she is having a great rookie season. I think people are really hard on her and expecting her to be perfect. That’s unrealistic, right? But, she's a phenomenal person, a phenomenal player. I’m going to support her through everything, right? She’s one of my best friends.”

Clark wound up winning WNBA Rookie of the Year and led the league in assists and three-pointers made.

She somehow exceeded the outsized expectations people had for her, but the Indiana Fever star made it clear in her TIME interview that she's not done yet.

“Personally, I'm just scratching the surface of what I can do and hopefully how I can change the world and impact people,” Clark said. “There's also been so many people that are not involved in women's sports, that are just in the workforce, or whatever they do, and they're just like, ‘Thank you for what you do for women.’ I've heard that a million times.”

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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