Caitlin Clark’s boyfriend heartbroken over family tragedy: ‘I refuse to say goodbye’

Caitlin Clark’s boyfriend, Connor McCaffery, is mourning the death of his grandmother.

McCaffery posted a tribute to Marit Smaby-Nowlin on Saturday, sharing a photo of him with his grandmother when he was a young boy.

“I’ve been trying to think of what to say and I can’t,” McCaffery wrote in the caption. “It’s impossible to put into words how much you meant to our entire family. I refuse to say goodbye, so until we meet again.”

WNBA star and former Iowa Hawkeye Caitlin Clark (L) and boyfriend Connor McCaffery attend a Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament - Second Round game between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Michigan State Spartans at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on March 06, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Iowa Hawkeyes won the game 74-61

Clark responded in the comments with several hearts and prayer-hands emojis.

Smaby-Nowlin, 80, died after she was found unresponsive in Lake Vermilion in northeast Minnesota on Wednesday, according to the Star Tribune.

Family members were attempting to revive Smaby-Nowlin when first responders arrived, according to the report.

The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office told the Tribune that she died after being transported to Cook Hospital.

Connor McCaffery shared this photo of him and his grandma on Instagram.

She was the mother to four daughters, including Margaret, McCaffery’s mom, who was a standout basketball player in St. Paul before playing at Notre Dame.

Margaret married McCaffery’s dad, Fran, the longtime Iowa head coach who’s now the head coach at the University of Pennsylvania.

“Another year with my favorite person 🙂 I’m so thankful for you 🖤🖤,” Clark wrote on Instagram at the time.

The couple met while they were basketball players at Iowa.

McCaffery is currently an assistant coach for the Butler men’s basketball program. He worked for the NBA’s Pacers as a basketball development coordinator during the 2023-24 season.

Nightmare continues for Fever as Sophie Cunningham joins Caitlin Clark on injured list

The Indiana Fever’s form in 2025 has been affected by injuries to key players and the team’s luck is getting no better.

On Sunday Sophie Cunningham suffered a knee injury during a game against the Connecticut Sun and she was forced from the court. She underwent an MRI on Monday and was found to have torn her MCL, an injury that will see her miss the remainder of the WNBA season.

Cunningham is expected to make a full recovery but the Fever will be without her as they chase a championship later this year. Cunningham had appeared in 30 of the Fever’s 35 games this season, averaging 8.6 points and 3.5 rebounds.

Sophie Cunningham injury update

However it was her on-court partnership with guard Caitlin Clark that had proved most valuable, sticking up for the young star in the face of increasingly physical play from opponents. In June Cunningham was ejected from a prior game against the Sun after she clashed with Jacy Sheldon. Clark had been on the receiving end of some aggression from Sheldon earlier in the game.

After Cunningham’s injury was confirmed on Tuesday, teammate Clark shared a brief note to her on Instagram. Clark shared a post from the Fever about Cunningham’s injury, alongside the words, ‘Love you always soph’.

Cunningham has also paid credit to Clark this season, describing her as ‘the face of the league’ and helping to bring new audiences to the WNBA. A meeting between the Fever and the Chicago Sky drew 2.7 million viewers and Cunningham believes that other players should be grateful for the impact.

“This is what we’ve always wanted as a league, so like, who cares who gets the credit,” Cunningham said. “And if you’re smart, [you know] you’re making money off them… Just be nice. Why can’t people be nice?”