Kate Martin leaves game vs. Sky with apparent leg injury

Late in the first quarter of Tuesday’s game against the Chicago Sky, Kate Martin had to be helped to the Las Vegas Aces’ locker room. She suffered an apparent leg injury with 1:19 to play in the period.

Martin was dribbling up the court when she appeared to roll her right ankle. She immediately hit the ground in pain and received some help as she left the court.

The Aces later confirmed Martin suffered a lower right leg injury. The team also confirmed she wouldn’t return to the game.

Martin was one of the great stories to come out of April’s WNBA Draft. The former Iowa star attended the draft to support teammate and close friend Caitlin Clark, who went No. 1 overall to the Indiana Fever, and ended up getting drafted, herself. She’s become a fan favorite in Las Vegas, appearing in 22 games – including one start – while averaging 3.6 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.2 steals.

Martin’s biggest game of her young career came in her first start. In that June 9 game against the Los Angeles Sparks, she had 13 points, four rebounds and three assists as the Aces fell 96-92. Since then, she’s played limited minutes for Las Vegas, especially since Chelsea Gray jumped back into the rotation.

Kate Martin ‘tried not to think too much about’ first start

After that game against the Sparks, Martin kept things in perspective. She said she tried to avoid getting caught up in the moment of her first career start.

“I honestly tried not to think too much about it,” Martin said, via Hawkeye Report’s Kyle Huesmann. “Didn’t mean my job was going to change, my role was going to change, I’m just going to be the same. Bring energy, come in and give my best effort and that’s all I was really focused on.”

That was also Martin’s first-ever trip to Los Angeles, which added to the excitement about the game. However, she spoke more about how much fun she’s had in the league and the support she’s receiving from the Aces fan base.

“I’ve never even been to California in my life, so no, I didn’t expect that and I never expect anything really,” Martin said. “I had no expectations coming into the league and I think that’s what’s been so fun. I got an opportunity and I made the best team in the world and it’s just been a lot of fun…I appreciate all of the fan support. It makes it fun, it makes it cool, but no, I wasn’t expecting that.”