1 month ago
35
Caitlin Clark's boyfriend Connor McCaffery has paid an emotional tribute to his grandma, Marit Smaby-Nowlin, after her death in a Minnesota lake at the age of 80.
McCaffery, a Butler University basketball coach, posted a picture of them together when he was a child on Saturday night with the caption: 'I’ve been trying to think of what to say and I can’t.
'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'.
Indiana Fever star Clark then commented on the post moments later with several heart and prayer emojis.
According to the Minnesota Star Tribune, Smaby-Nowlin was found unresponsive in Lake Vermilion in Minnesota around 6pm on Wednesday.
First responders arrived to find family members trying to revive her before they took her back to land and then to Cook Hospital, but she soon died.
Caitlin Clark's boyfriend Connor McCaffery has paid an emotional tribute to his grandma
McCaffery posted this picture of them when he was a child after her death at the age of 80
Caitlin Clark's boyfriend Connor McCaffery has paid an emotional tribute to his grandma
McCaffery's younger sister Marit, who is named after their grandma, also posted a tribute
A mother to four daughters, Smaby-Nowlin lived in St. Paul with her husband Forrest Nowlin. It's believed she was at Lake Vermilion on vacation.
McCaffery's younger sister Marit, who is named after their grandma, also posted a tribute on social media.
She wrote: 'No one else I would want to be named after. It is the greatest honor. Cannot wait to see you again one day mormor'.
Clark and McCaffery have been together for nearly two-and-a-half years, having started dating in April 2023 while Clark was playing college basketball at Iowa.
Since then, Clark has become one of the biggest sporting stars in the United States, enjoying a whirlwind rise after being picked first by the Fever in the 2024 WNBA Draft.
McCaffrey is also involved in basketball, working as an assistant coach at Butler University in Indiana.
Clark is currently undergoing unprecedented struggles with a groin injury.
Until the start of the current WNBA season, she had a perfect injury record, never having missed a game for her entire college career and first year as a pro.
But she has been struck down by multiple issues this season, and Friday night's visit from the Washington Mystics marked her 12th straight game not being able to help her teammates.
