Caitlin Clark is making headlines because the WNBA’s latest star, however there’s extra to her story than simply her unimaginable abilities on the courtroom. Whereas basketball followers are watching to see how the Indiana Fever’s high draft decide performs within the professionals, many are additionally interested in her life off the courtroom—particularly her relationship along with her boyfriend, Connor McCaffery.
However let’s rewind for a minute. In case you’ve been residing beneath a rock, Caitlin Clark is mainly the brand new LeBron James of girls’s basketball. The purpose guard turned a family title throughout her faculty profession on the College of Iowa, breaking data left and proper. She wowed audiences along with her scoring capability and courtroom imaginative and prescient, ultimately turning into the all-time main scorer in NCAA ladies’s basketball historical past. No massive deal, proper?
So, when the WNBA draft rolled round in 2024, it was no shocker that the Indiana Fever snagged her with the primary decide. Now, everybody’s ready to see how she’ll dominate the professionals like she owned faculty ball.
However whereas Clark’s been busy turning into a basketball legend, she’s additionally been constructing a relationship with somebody who understands the sport in and out. Enter Connor McCaffery, her boyfriend and fellow baller. Should you’re curious in regards to the man who’s relationship basketball’s latest celebrity, stick round, as a result of we’re about to dive into all the small print on Clark’s off-court MVP.
Who’s Caitlin Clark’s boyfriend?
Picture: Alex Slitz/Getty Photographs.
Caitlin Clark’s different half is Connor McCaffery, and he’s no stranger to the basketball world. Like Clark, McCaffery performed faculty ball for the College of Iowa Hawkeyes.
He’s not nearly basketball, although. This man’s obtained brains to match his athletic abilities: McCaffery graduated from Iowa in 2023 with not one, however two bachelor’s levels in finance and political science. Throughout his time at Iowa, McCaffery was a standout each on and off the courtroom. He earned his group’s Tutorial Excellence Award for 5 seasons and was named a five-time Tutorial All-Large Ten honoree.
After faculty, McCaffery landed a gig with the NBA’s Indiana Pacers as a group assistant. His strategy to the job? “All-hands on deck,” as he informed the Des Moines Register. “I’ll play dummy protection, run the scout group, assist coaches on movie stuff, assistance on video tasks in the event that they want, scouting stories in the event that they want,” he defined. “No matter you’re requested to do, be able to do it.”
Basketball runs deep in McCaffery’s household. His dad, Fran McCaffery, is definitely the pinnacle basketball coach on the College of Iowa. Fran’s been teaching since 1983 and is presently in his twenty eighth season as a head coach. Now,McCaffery’s obtained his sights set on a training profession, following in his father’s footsteps.
“It’s a method in,” Connor informed the Des Moines Register about his present job. “It’s an entry-level job. You’ve started working arduous and work your method up. That’s clearly what I wish to do.”
How did Caitlin Clark and Connor McCaffery meet?
It seems that Clark and McCaffery’s love story has a traditional “associates first” starting. The basketball world is likely to be small, however on this case, it was McCaffery’s youthful brother, Patrick, who performed matchmaker—albeit unintentionally.
“We had been at all times associates,” McCaffery shared in an interview with the Occasions-Union. “She was associates with Patrick. I used to be associates along with her. Our groups frolicked collectively. We had good relationships with the ladies’s group and we simply ultimately began hanging out.”
So, it appears Clark and McCaffery’s paths crossed naturally throughout their time in Iowa’s basketball program—and the truth that each the boys’s and girls’s groups socialized collectively created the right atmosphere for his or her friendship to blossom into one thing extra.
McCaffery appears to view their transition from associates to companions as fairly pure. As he put it, “it was simply sort of simple the way it all labored out.”
When did Caitlin Clark & Connor McCaffrey begin relationship?
Clark and McCaffery’s love story formally kicked off in April 2023, however they stored issues on the down-low for some time. They made it Instagram official 4 months later when Clark posted a comfy boat pic with McCaffery, together with the caption, “Greatest finish to summer time.”
Since then, the pair have been fairly open about their relationship on social media. On their first anniversary in April 2024, Clark shared a candy black and white photograph, writing: “One 12 months of the perfect mems w my fav individual 🖤 you make on a regular basis higher and I can’t wait for a lot of extra adventures collectively… love you 🤞🏻😇.”
McCaffery’s response was equally heartwarming. He posted his personal anniversary tribute, saying, “doing life w u has been simple, and also you by no means stop to amaze me.. can’t wait to look at u reside out ur goals in individual 🤞🏼 love you ❤️”
The couple has been supportive of one another’s achievements all through their relationship. On Clark’s twenty second birthday in January 2024, McCaffery additionally posted a heartfelt tribute: “Completely happy Birthday 22. Want I used to be there to have fun with you – you deserve the perfect day. Golden Bday/T Swift 12 months would be the finest but,” he wrote. “With all that you just’ve already completed, there may be a lot extra in retailer for you and your particular self. I like you in each method and I like you.”
His prediction about “a lot extra in retailer” for Clark proved correct. Only a month later, she turned the all-time main scorer in NCAA ladies’s basketball historical past, surpassing Kelsey Plum’s 3,527 factors. When Clark broke the scoring report, McCaffery was proper there cheering her on through social media, together with different sports activities legends.
As Clark transitions to her skilled profession with the Indiana Fever, it’s clear she’s obtained a stable assist system in McCaffery. He understands the calls for of high-level basketball and appears able to cheer her on each step of the best way. There’s nothing like having a fan each on and off the courtroom!
