Kate Martin had just dropped 21 points off the bench—her first 20-point game in the WNBA. A barrage of deep threes, smart cuts, and calm decision-making helped the Valkyries nearly upset the Liberty in front of a roaring, sold-out crowd at Chase Center. It should have been her moment. Instead, it triggered a conversation that Martin has been dodging for years: how long will her identity be tethered to Caitlin Clark?

And now, it’s not just fans asking, it’s broadcasters, too.

That was the undercurrent across social media after the clip aired. And for many, the boiling point was this widely circulated quote from @nosyone4 on X:
“Everybody knows Kate Martin because she played with Caitlin Clark at Iowa. But people forget some of the games that Caitlin didn’t have it, especially in the tournament which is where Kate really made her name. Kate took over a lot of those games by herself.”

That last line, though intended as praise, opened the floodgates.

Because here’s the reality: Martin never outscored Clark in a single Iowa game—not once from 2019 to 2024. Even in her most efficient outing, like the 25-point burst against Drake on 10-of-12 shooting, Clark had 35 points and 10 assists in the same game. The numbers don’t lie—and fans weren’t debating that.

What they were debating was something quieter: the silence.

Clark, Gabby Marshall, and Kate Martin were the backbone of Iowa’s backcourt—a trio etched into the program’s lore. But in the WNBA, Martin’s identity was supposed to branch out. And to many, it had.

After being selected by the Golden State Valkyries in the 2024 expansion draft, her name drew the loudest cheer in the room. Reddit dubbed it the “Kate Martin Effect.” Social media flooded with posts like:
“Need a Kate Martin Valkyries jersey ASAP.”
“That jersey’s going to go crazy at Coachella.”

And they weren’t wrong. Martin’s jersey ranked fourth in league-wide WNBA sales, eclipsing even reigning MVP A’ja Wilson.

Her impact wasn’t just aesthetic, either. She helped pack 17,428 fans into Chase Center for a preseason opener, outdrawing Caitlin Clark’s own preseason debut. Eight straight sellouts followed. Coach Natalie Nakase called her “that cornerstone player who embodies everything we value.” Clark herself praised Martin as “one of the best teammates I’ve ever had.”

But despite that—despite the stats, the sold-out arenas, the signature threes in crunch time—her name still floats behind Clark’s shadow in national broadcasts.

Martin’s 21-point game was no statistical anomaly—it was the result of months of grit, growth, and grace. And it happened in a high-stakes battle where Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart had to claw back just to edge out the Valkyries by three. Martin hit the tying 3 with 4:12 left. Then another to take the lead at 1:59. And when the Liberty looked ready to walk away, she hit one more with 12 seconds to go, cutting it to a single point.

Yes, she missed the final shot, but the announcer’s way of relating Clark and Martin ruffled a lot of feathers 

Fans Slam Valkyries Announcer’s Over Clark and Martin Commentary

In fact, one fan said, “Is it too much to ask for professional@wnba  commentators? This@valkyries  announcer is straight up lying through his teeth. Does he know CC watches the games? At some point, she’s going to make this team pay, and all she’s going to replay in her mind as fuel is his BS commentary.“

That comment may have come from a die-hard Caitlin Clark fan, but it reflects a pattern. The Valkyries have grown noticeably bolder in how they talk about Clark, something we saw last time these two teams faced off. Clark had one of her worst shooting nights, going 0-for-7 from deep and finishing 3-of-14 with six turnovers. But while she struggled on court, the Valkyries’ social media team lit it up online, tossing shade with posts like “Relax 😔” and even comparing her flop to a Pez dispenser. After sealing the 88–77 win, they capped it off with a Steph Curry “Night Night” GIF.

Sure, it’s all part of the game—and there’s nothing wrong with an announcer hyping up their home team, but when the facts get twisted, it hits differently. However, none can deny that Kate Martin was an essential part of Iowa’s backcourt.

Another frustrated fan didn’t hold back: “Can the new CBA get us better announcers? Please, I beg NBC. I need announcers who watched the W games, know the rules, can remember player names, and actually interview players. There is more than one pathetic announcer in the W.”

While the upcoming WNBA CBA negotiations are centered on pay, travel standards, and roster sizes—not on broadcast quality—it’s clear fans are demanding better. And in some cases, teams have acted. Just last year, two high-profile broadcasters were let go after controversy.

Sheryl Swoopes, the Hall of Famer turned analyst, was dropped from the Dallas Wings’ coverage after repeatedly downplaying Caitlin Clark’s accomplishments and making several factually incorrect statements. Public backlash and internal concerns about her credibility sealed her exit from all 2025 WNBA game coverage.

Cindy Brunson, who worked the Phoenix Mercury broadcast, was also removed after her sharp criticisms of Clark during a Twitter Space drew widespread backlash. She was quietly replaced by a rotating crew of Ann Schatz, Ann Meyers Drysdale, and Braiden Bell.

So while the CBA itself won’t fix bad commentary, the writing’s on the wall. With a $2.2 billion media rights deal now in place, and growing pressure for more professional, informed coverage, broadcasters—like the Valkyries’ crew—might want to tighten up before they’re next.

Another fan was blunt: “What in the world is this announcer talking about?”

To be fair, he was likely just hyping up his squad, and Kate Martin in particular. Sure, the announcer misspoke when he implied Martin did more than Caitlin Clark, but no one can deny Martin’s impact on that historic Iowa run.

In the 2024 Elite Eight against defending champs LSU, Martin dropped 21 points—widely credited as the game that launched Iowa into the Final Four. And in the national semifinal against UConn, after taking a shot to the face and returning with a bloodied nose, she strung together six clutch points in the fourth quarter to secure a 71–69 win and a second straight national title game appearance.

Another fan didn’t hold back either: “That guy is a clown.”

Well, not exactly. The Valkyries’ lead announcer is Jacob Tobey, a Suffolk University grad who also calls games for the San Antonio Spurs. He handles the primary play-by-play alongside color analyst Morgan Ragan, while Derek Clark rotates in for select matchups. Studio coverage is led by KPIX Sports Director Vern Glenn, with analyst Zena Keita. Former WNBA vet Layshia Clarendon and KPIX’s Matt Lively round out the team for pregame, halftime, and postgame segments.

So while the tone might rub some fans the wrong way, it’s a crew with legitimate experience behind the mic.

One fan didn’t mince words: “Honestly Valk announcers are some of the most woke idiots. I lost all respect for them when they couldn’t pronounce the names of some of their own players. Their commentary is a joke.”

There’s really no excuse for that, mispronouncing your own team’s roster is broadcast 101. But with criticism piling up and receipts going viral, this kind of backlash might just be the wake-up call the Valkyries’ booth needs to tighten things up moving forward.