Caitlin Clark Jersey Retirement: Iowa star's BF Connor McCaffery spotted rooting for Fever star at Carver-Hawkeye Arena

As the Iowa Hawkeyes are set to retire Caitlin Clark's jersey at the Carver-Hawkeye Arena, she has some of her closest supporters rooting for her on this big occasion. One of her close supporters in the building was her boyfriend, Connor McCaffery.

WNBA photographer Bri Lewerke posted a series of pictures taken before the event. Clark, who was wearing a pair of denim jeans and a black Iowa jacket, sat with McCaffery in the front row. One of the pictures showed her speaking to the reporters.

In one of the posts made by Owen Siebring on X, formerly known as "Twitter," Clark McCaffery was seen standing with Caitlin Clark's former teammate Gabbie Marshall, who was also present to offer support.

Caitlin Clark gets honest about handling criticism before her Iowa jersey retirement

Would the thought that 'Iowa was the best place to be' cross Caitlin Clark's mind? Most probably, yes. While Clark took her next step in her professional life, it came with challenges and unexpected setbacks that she perhaps did not anticipate.

From being viewed as clean to becoming a controversial figure without even creating controversy herself, Clark's name has been dragged through countless discussions. Such as, allegations of receiving preferential treatment, have also surrounded her. However, it seems that Clark was aware of the potential challenges when she stepped into the spotlight.

Before her jersey retirement, Caitlin Clark was at the Carver-Hawkeye Arena talking to the reporters. When asked about how she dealt with the criticisms that had come her way, Clark said that she knows that she is in a privileged position and is grateful for that. However, she also added that when it comes to her critics, she really doesn't care.

"I think it’s just life. Everybody goes through some of the things that I’ve gone through, a lot of people go through a lot worse. I just try to remind myself every single day how grateful I am to be in the position I am, I want to treat everyone the same way that I would want to be treated," Clark told reporters on Sunday.

"But also, I’ve said this before, I feel like one of my greatest skills is I really don’t care. Like, I don’t. I don’t care. I believe in myself, I’m confident in myself, I’m confident in my teammates, I try to instill that in them, I’m confident in the coaching staff of whatever team I was on, whether that was [at Iowa], whether that’s at the Fever now."

The Indiana Fever star also added that since she started playing basketball, she has always remained confident in her teammates, which has helped her a lot. Furthermore, Caitlin Clark said that the small circle of people around her has been a constant support during tough times.