“She’s a Tough Cookie”: Despite Kate Martin’s Absence Throughout the Night, Becky Hammon Remains Hopeful of a Speedy Recovery

The dominant run of the Las Vegas Aces saw a painful end Tuesday evening. Not only was their 4-game winning streak broken in front of 10,396 people at the Michelob ULTRA Arena, but there is uncertainty looming over the future participation of their star rookie Kate Martin. Seemingly, she might be out of action for some time, courtesy of an unfortunate lower right leg injury. In spite of that, head coach Becky Hammon chooses to clinch on the ray of hope and wishes to see her take the court after the Olympics break.

A disappointed and unsatisfied Becky Hammon addressed the media after facing her 5th defeat at home. Among the many talking points was the sad state of affairs that transpired in the first quarter involving Kate Martin. A reporter, while mentioning the nature of Martin’s injury was looking for more updates from the boss. To which Hammon replied, “You just told me more than I knew. I haven’t talked to the medical staff.”

However, she did manage to express her concerns in this regard and was optimistic about future developments. Hammon further added, “I know she’s freaking tough. I don’t know how bad it is. But, she’s a tough cookie, for her to not come back… I’m hoping for the best.”

Kate Martin was carried out of the court very early in the opening quarter managing just 1 rebound. She did return to the bench later, but the crowd didn’t see her take further part in the game. Anyhow, there is still no official statement regarding the extent of her injury.

Meanwhile, the team’s kingpin A’ja Wilson had some revelations about the team’s reaction at that moment.

A’ja Wilson and Co. protecting rookie Kate Martin

The fans present at the Michelob ULTRA Arena saw a caring A’ja Wilson putting a towel under Martin’s head. She opened up more about handling the situation like this by saying, “I’m going to take care of my rookie. We’re going to take care of her no matter what because she’s one of us. She’s our sister.”

At the same time, she put forth another important detail that was instrumental in their thoughtful gesture. Wilson said, “Cameras be getting in your business. We don’t want that. We don’t need that. So we try to protect her peace, her mental and just her emotion.”

The events of the night are a tough one for the entire roster to digest. Still, with the Aces’ next game scheduled on August 17th following Olympic break, there is plenty hope for things to fall back into place. With playoffs closing in, it remains to see how the Aces fare on bouncing back for a three peat.

Stay tuned for more such updates. And to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub, and more, watch this video.