Caitlin Clark's Message To Kate Martin Makes Clear Where Their Friendship Stands

As two WNBA players competing on separate teams, Caitlin Clark and Kate Martin are naturally rivals but off the court, their friendship remains solid. In an Instagram post shared by Martin featuring a carousel of pics including one of her and Clark wearing different jerseys, she captioned, "I love my job." Her former teammate's simple yet sweet response was, "love you." Proving that Clark is also close with Martin's mom Jill, she also wrote, "Just here for jilly bean."

The two basketball stars formed a bond playing for the Iowa Hawkeyes while attending the University of Iowa and have remained best friends since. Now, the two are in the big leagues, with Clark drafted as the first pick by Indiana Fever and Martin chosen 18th by the Las Vegas Aces. Martin was in fact at the draft to root for her former teammate when she learned that she had also made it into the WNBA. "I'm really happy to be here. I was here to support Caitlin, but you know, I was hoping to hear my name called. And all I wanted was an opportunity and I got it. I'm really excited," she gushed, per the Las Vegas Aces. Despite the WNBA's disappointing salary, getting drafted was definitely a highlight of both Clark and Martin's career but if there was one thing they could change, it would be a chance to play on the same team.

After four years of playing for the Iowa Hawkeyes together, Caitlin Clark and Kate Martin have undeniably become close. Sadly, all good things must come to an end and while they both have brighter futures ahead of them, their WNBA career would only be better played together. During an interview shared on TikTok, Clark told reporters, "In my eyes, she's one of the best leaders I've ever been around in my entire life and I think that everybody that's been her teammate or has coached her would say the exact same thing. I know like, she's somebody that I can always lean on and rely on, whether she's my teammate or just my friend — I wish she was still my teammate," the Fever player stated.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Clark had the option to stay another year at the University of Iowa but Martin's leaving cemented her decision to move on. "I'll miss playing with her. She's just somebody that's really been there for me. She's somebody that's wired the same way as me," Clark stated, per the New York Post. The 6-feet-tall star added, "At times, that means me and Kate butt heads, but at the end of the day, we know how much we love each other." Since getting drafted, Clark, who has had some obstacles in the WNBA, and Martin have faced each other on the court and while things have gotten a bit competitive, there's nothing but love between the two.

Besties Caitlin Clark and Kate Martin reunited on May 25 for the first time since entering the WNBA — but this time, they were on opposite teams. The Indiana Fever squared off against the Las Vegas Aces, who took the win in their home court. On the court, Clark's playful competitive nature came out and Martin revealed that her friend tried to distract her with some banter, The Edwardsville Intelligencer reported. "We do talk a little bit of trash back and forth," the Aces guard admitted. Martin continued, "Last time we played each other, we gave each other a little shove and talked trash back and forth to each other. It's all in good fun."

On playing against Clark, Kate Martin admitted per The Daily Iowan, "It was weird, I'm not going to lie. Looking out on the court and seeing her in a different jersey than me, it was obviously different." However, she added, "It's really fun, we're both living out our dream right now and we both get to compete at the highest level, so we're both really grateful for that opportunity." Meanwhile, Clark said of her friend, "I'm just really happy for her and everything Coach Hammon says about her is so true ... She's the ultimate teammate, ultimate person, ultimate leader."