Kate Martin's Pregame Outfit Honors Injured A'ja Wilson
The Las Vegas Aces are looking to extend their current four-game winning streak against the New York Liberty on Sunday.
However, they'll have to do without superstar forward and current WNBA MVP favorite A'ja Wilson.
Wilson was seen wearing a walking boot before Sunday's game. Soon after, it was announced that she was ruled out for the contest because of what Aces head coach Becky Hammon said was an ankle ailment.
A’ja Wilson makes her entrance adorned in a Dawn Staley Team USA tee and a boot on her right leg
— Geoff Magliocchetti (@GeoffJMags) September 8, 2024
Wilson is OUT for today’s game in Brooklyn#WNBA #AllInLV pic.twitter.com/ez9oSgl1Nx
"She tweaked her ankle a little bit there, I think everyone saw it on TV," Hammon said of Wilson's injury, per Las Vegas Review-Journal's Callie Lawson-Freeman. She also added that MRI and imaging didn't show any major issues with Wilson's ankle and that the walking boot was precautionary.
Wilson has been making waves for her streak of wearing white t-shirts before games in recent weeks. While she wasn't doing so on Sunday, the Aces' beloved rookie Kate Martin did so in her place.
Martin (who was Caitlin Clark's teammate at the University of Iowa) was seen in a video before Sunday's Aces vs. Liberty game wearing a white tee black sweatpants, grey shoes, and white headphones.
Kate Martin with the white tee 👀 pic.twitter.com/xjz4PY4qcx
— Aliyah Funschelle (@AliyahFun) September 8, 2024
It's unknown whether Martin wore the white shirt as a way of paying homage to her injured teammate. But given the great camaraderie that Wilson and Martin have showcased this season, it wouldn't be surprising if this was Martin's means of showing Wilson respect.
What's for sure is that Wilson sitting out against a 28-7 Liberty team will be tough for the Aces to recover from. Still, this rematch of the 2023 WNBA Finals should be an exciting contest.
GRANT YOUNG
Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.