“Playing solo”: Caitlin Clark gives hilarious response while explaining boyfriend Connor McCaffery’s absence for Fever preseason debut

Ahead of her preseason debut as the Indiana Fever faced the Dallas Wings on Friday, Caitlin Clark was asked if her "bae" would be there for the game at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas. Responding to the question, Clark hilariously explained the absence of her boyfriend, Connor McCaffery, for her unofficial WNBA debut in front of a sold-out crowd.

"No, he's working," Clark said. "I'm playing solo, I better get used to it, man. I'm gonna be a pro, it's my job."

McCaffery, the 2024 WNBA draft's No. 1 pick's boyfriend, is a team assistant for the Indiana Pacers after graduating from the University of Iowa in May 2023.

Clark made her relationship with McCaffery public in August 2023 by posting a photo with McCaffery on her Instagram. A fellow basketball player and former Hawkeye, McCaffery is very supportive of Caitlin Clark, as implied by his social media posts whenever Clark achieves various milestones.

Caitlin Clark's preseason debut game featured a thrilling back-and-forth contest between the Indiana Fever and the Dallas Wings. Clark recorded a team-high 21 points along with three rebounds, two assists and two steals in the game, as the Fever were defeated 79-76 by the Wings.

“Lot to learn from”: Caitlin Clark weighs in on preseason debut against Wings

After her unofficial WNBA debut in the Indiana Fever vs. the Dallas Wings exhibition game on Friday, Caitlin Clark weighed in on her performance in an interview right after the matchup.

The former Iowa Hawkeye spoke about the outing being a learning experience for her as a rookie in the league.

"Overall, a lot to learn from. These are great learning experiences for us," Clark said. "Go back and watch the film, film doesn't lie, and learn from that."

The game featured Clark missing a tough game-tying 3-pointer to lose her first game with the Fever after Arike Ogunbowale drained a stepback 3-pointer to put the Wings up 79-76 with three seconds left.

Though she lost the contest, Clark acknowledged it as a great game for her WNBA preseason debut.

“You couldn’t ask for a better game, really, for women’s basketball,” Clark said.

Caitlin Clark's official debut in the WNBA will be on May 14 as the Indiana Fever face the Connecticut Sun for their first game of the 2024-25 WNBA regular season. However, her performance in the Fever's first preseason game gave fans a glimpse of how she's connecting with her teammates on the WNBA stage.