Dawn Staley Unhappy With Reporter's 'Biased' Kate Martin Comment

South Carolina basketball coach Dawn Staley has made it known over the years that she isn't afraid to offer her two cents. With that being said, she called out a WNBA reporter this week.

A few days ago, the Golden State Valkyries released former Iowa star Kate Martin. She came off the bench for the Valkyries last season, averaging 6.2 points and 2.7 rebounds per game. That decision shocked plenty of fans and reporters, especially since Martin was considered a fan favorite.

"Kate Martin is the final cut from the Valkyries," Matt Lively of CBS Sports Bay Area said. "They opt to keep Kaitlyn Chen and Laeticia Amihere over Martin. The move makes sense in terms of need but Martin is an incredibly popular player with a fan base that shows up in every city."

Staley, who coached Laeticia Amihere from 2019-2023, didn't appreciate the way Lively worded his social media post.

"Not cool to actually use other players names specifically Laeticia Amihere for your personal preface," Staley replied. "I hope if you cover the Valkyries you can unbiasedly do so moving forward."

WNBA fans are siding with Dawn Staley.

It didn't take long for WNBA fans to share their thoughts on this topic. Most of them believe the Valkyries did what's best for their roster.

"Correction - They chose to keep 14 extremely talented players over Martin. This is a professional basketball league where every player has to compete for a roster spot," one fan wrote on X. "The two players you mentioned worked their butts off overseas and in the offseason."

"Kate is not better than any of the players that were kept lol. I'm surprised she stayed that long, but hey," a second fan said. "They kept what they needed, who cares about her showing up for her fans. She obviously didn't show up to play, sooooo…"

"I'm so sick of you fans and cheerleaders disguised as credible journalists," another fan replied.

Martin has not yet signed with another WNBA team. It'll be interesting to see where she ends up this season.

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This story was originally published May 9, 2026 at 7:26 AM.