In the realm of professional sports, rookies often endure a baptism by fire, though for Las Vegas Aces rookie Kate Martin, it seems her initiation is more of a baptism by prank. The latest episode in this ongoing saga occurred recently, when Martin found herself running after a moving team bus, her hands flailing in a desperate attempt to catch up.

The scene, immortalized on Instagram by Aces star A'ja Wilson, is something straight out of a slapstick comedy. The bus, occupied by her chuckling teammates, finally stopped to let her on after she'd sprinted a respectable distance. Wilson, who posted the video, wryly captioned her post, "Don’t be late to the bus" (fox; nypost). One imagines Wilson’s next caption could be something like, "Cardio: Making rookies faster, one prank at a time."

Martin's unexpected workout, however, wasn't the first time she'd been on the receiving end of her teammates' playful mischief. In yet another memorable bus-related prank, Martin was presented with a delightfully youthful pink Hello Kitty backpack and subsequently urged to give a speech (nypost). Clearly, the Aces have figured out that the road to team bonding is paved with humor and a little bit of rookie hazing.

This light-hearted or, shall we say, ‘carefully orchestrated’ chaos comes as Martin celebrated her 23rd birthday on Wednesday (fox). And what better way to mark the passage of time than with a reminder that punctuality is paramount, especially when you’re a rookie?

It's worth noting that Martin has endured these pranks with grace, or at least hasn’t openly plotted revenge—yet. She was selected by the Las Vegas Aces with the sixth pick in the second round of the WNBA draft this past April (fox; nypost). Since joining the team, Martin has been proving her worth on the court. She’s averaging 21 minutes per game in five appearances off the bench, a clear sign that when she's not chasing buses, she’s chasing hoops (nypost).

And in case anyone thought her workouts were all in vain, Martin has been performing well. In the last two games, she’s scored 21 points, hitting 5 of 10 three-pointers (fox). Such accuracy surely indicates her determination to never be left behind again—literally and figuratively.

The Las Vegas Aces themselves have had a strong start to the season, going 4-2. They seem to be combining both wins and laughs to keep morale high (nypost). Kate Martin even had a chance to face off against her former Iowa teammate Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever on May 25, 2024 (fox; nypost).

Pranks aside, Martin seems to be settling in well among her new teammates. The Aces might be teaching her about professional-level sports, but they are also giving her valuable lessons in camaraderie—and maybe just a hint of cardiovascular endurance. So while the mantra 'Leave No Player Behind' generally holds true, it appears there's one playful exception: rookies who might need an extra sprint to catch up.