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Kate Martin Reacts to Historic WNBA News

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Chris Phelps | Last updated Aug 12, 2025 2:07 PM ET

Kate Martin and the Golden State Valkyries secured their 16th win of the 2025 WNBA season, defeating the Connecticut Sun on Monday night.

In 16 minutes off the bench, Martin finished with three points on 1-of-5 shooting, four rebounds and one assist, but it was starting guard Tiffany Hayes who stole the show, adding 17 points and making WNBA history in the process.

Going into the game, Hayes had totaled 4,873 points through her 13 seasons in the WNBA, the 32nd-most in league history. With 2:24 remaining in the first quarter, Hayes hit a driving layup to increase Golden State's lead to eight, marking her fourth point of the game and 4,876th of her career.

In doing so, Hayes has passed Houston Comets legend Sheryl Swoopes (4,875) for the 31st-most points in WNBA history. Hayes finished the night reaching her 4,890th point.

Martin showed her support for her teammate with a post on her Instagram Story.

"Proud of you @tiphayes3," Martin wrote.

Following the win, Hayes also offered her first reaction to passing Swoopes, calling it "dope." Martin reposted the Valkyries' video to her Instagram Story above.

"Man, that's a legend," Hayes said. "Shoutout to Sheryl Swoopes. Means a lot. I appreciate anybody that comes before me, but that's definitely dope."

Hayes now has her eyes on cracking the top 30 WNBA scorers of all time . She trails Minnesota Lynx legend Maya Moore (4,984) by 94 points for the No. 30 spot, but still has a long way to go to catch the record held by former Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi (10,646).

Hayes, Martin and the Valkyries will now look for their third-straight win, traveling to the nation's capital to take on the Washington Mystics in their next game on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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