Three years in, and it still feels like the honeymoon phase. Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever are all set to open their 2026 WNBA season with a preseason game against the New York Liberty in less than 24 hours. But just when everything is supposed to be about the game, the eve of Clark’s preseason debut is filled with love in the air.

Because while fans were gearing up to see Clark back on the court, she gave them something off it instead.

April 24 officially marks the day Clark and her boyfriend Connor McCaffery hit the three-year mark in their relationship. So to celebrate the occasion, the Fever star took to Instagram and shared a photo of them, captioning it: “three years with my fav 🤍🤍 you’re the bestttt :).”

No long note, no dramatic anniversary post, just something simple that felt very her. And McCaffery’s reaction?

The former Butler assistant coach dropped a string of red heart emojis in the comments, “❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️” and reshared the post on his Stories. But he didn’t just stop there, McCaffery also shared a picture of the two on his own Instagram account and captioned it: “3 years with the most beautiful best friend ❤️♾️.”

Over the years, Caitlin Clark and McCaffery’s relationship has quietly grown in the spotlight as they have never backed down from showing their mutual admiration for each other.

The two first crossed paths at the University of Iowa, where Clark was rewriting record books with the Hawkeyes women’s team while McCaffery played for the men’s squad under his father, Fran McCaffery.

Since then, McCaffery has been there for nearly every major chapter of Clark’s rise, showing his support for the young star.

When she became the all-time leading scorer in NCAA women’s basketball, he proudly shared a clip of Caitlin Clark’s record-breaking 3-pointer and captioned it with, “So proud” & “Love you 22.”

And in return, Clark mirrored that same energy.

Just recently, she publicly expressed her support for her boyfriend after he announced his departure from Butler University, where he spent two seasons as an assistant coach under Thad Matta.

That balance of supporting each other through the highs and the lows is exactly what kept their relationship intact for three years and continues to leave the fans in awe.

But with less than a day left before their season opener, the focus should now shift back to the court and what lies ahead for Clark and the Indiana Fever.

Caitlin Clark clears the air on minutes plan ahead of the Fever game against the Liberty

Let’s be honest, the 2025 WNBA season was a frustrating one for Clark, as injuries repeatedly disrupted her rhythm and ultimately limited her time on the court to just 13 games.

The 24-year-old became a victim of:

• left quadriceps tightness during training camp, which turned into a more serious quad strain in May.
• an on-and-off groin injury, where she briefly returned before aggravating it again and being forced back to the sidelines.
• a bone bruise in her ankle.

But now, Caitlin Clark is “finally back at 100%” and all set to return as the Indiana Fever face the New York Liberty in their preseason opener. And while the excitement around her return is real, she is not planning to rush anything.

“I’m not going to go out there and play 30 minutes on Saturday; that won’t be the case,” Clark said during the team’s media day on Wednesday.

Instead, she will have a more controlled role, so expect her to operate off the ball more often and pick her moments, rather than carrying a full workload right away.

“I think I’m the best transition player in the league. That’s where I thrive,” she added, pointing to the area where fans are still likely to see flashes of her best.

However, even in limited minutes, her return alone is enough to shift the energy around this Fever team.

Through her first two WNBA seasons, Clark has already put up 18.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 8.5 assists per game, and heading into 2026, those plans are bigger. But for now, though, all eyes are on one thing: seeing Caitlin Clark back where she belongs.