KATE MARTIN & A’JA WILSON: STEP SISTERS SHIRT SIGNED BY A’JA AFTER HISTORIC PERFORMANCE

Play video:

.

.

.

Las Vegas Aces Hilariously Troll Rookie Kate Martin by Pretending to Leave Without Her on Team Bus

WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson posted a hilarious video of the Aces rookie running after the team bus during a road trip in Texas

David Becker/Getty

Kate Martin #20 of the Las Vegas Aces poses for a head shot during the WNBA media day at Vu Studios on May 03, 2024
On the night before her birthday, the Las Vegas Aces playfully trolled rookie Kate Martin by pretending to leave without her after a team dinner.

The WNBA’s reigning champs pulled the prank on 24-year-old Martin while they were traveling in Plano, Texas on Tuesday, June 4 ahead of their road game against the Dallas Wings on Wednesday.

WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson shared a video of Martin running towards the bus on Instagram Stories on Tuesday, as the former Iowa Hawkeyes player laughed and hustled to catch up with the team’s charter bus.

“Don’t be late to the bus,” Wilson, 27, wrote in the post, tagging Martin and adding a couple of laughing emojis.

Wilson posted the video of her teammate a second time to her story, noting that Aces forward Kierstan Bell can be heard cracking up in the background of the video.

A’ja Wilson/Instagram

Las Vegas Aces Troll Kate Martin by Pretending to Leave Without Her on Team Bus
Related: Iowa’s Kate Martin Went to WNBA Draft to Support Caitlin Clark — and Then Got Drafted Herself: ‘A Lot of Emotions Right Now’

Bell also posted a video of Martin running toward the bus as it pulls away, writing “poor rook lmaooo,” and “I hate my laugh but this was funny not gone lie.”

In another post from Bell’s story on Tuesday, she shared that the team dined at Brasão Brazilian Steakhouse in Plano.

In a post on Wednesday, Bell shared the Aces’ birthday tribute post to Martin to her story and wrote, “Happy Birthday Lil Bookie,” with a heart emoji.

Martin has become a significant player in the Aces’ roster in her first weeks in the WNBA, despite the former Hawkeye not even knowing she’d be taken during the WNBA Draft in April.

Ethan Miller/Getty

At Iowa, Martin and Caitlin Clark helped bring the Iowa women’s basketball team its most successful seasons in school history. The team made it to the Final Four and the national championship game in back-to-back seasons in 2023 and 2024.

While Clark, 22, was breaking records and nabbing headlines, Martin backed her up with 13.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.

In April, Martin traveled to Brooklyn for the draft to watch Clark go first overall to the Indiana Fever. But 17 picks later, it was Martin who unexpectedly heard her name called with a pick from the Aces and saw her childhood dream come true.

After she was drafted, Martin told the Associated Press, “There are a lot of emotions right now. I’m really happy to be here. I was here to support Caitlin, but I was hoping to hear my name called. All I wanted was an opportunity and I got it. I’m really excited.”

Clark, 22, congratulated Martin on social media afterwards. “KATE. MARTIN. LFGGGGG,” Clark wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter) alongside a sunglasses emoji and a pair of white hearts.

On her Instagram Stories, Clark shared a selfie of the her and Martin together. “Couldn’t be happier for you,” Clark wrote alongside another heart emoji.