Fact Check: Are Caitlin Clark’s Parents Divorced?

The cameras captured Caitlin Clark‘s father heavily involved in that Iowa vs Holy Cross game when he yelled “stop”. Much earlier, in an ESPN interview, the NCAA phenom revealed on-record how she wrote “be in the WNBA” as her dream when her mother motivated a second-grader to visualize. Clearly, Brent and Anne Nizzi-Clark have have a great role to play in her success. So now, as she is busy breaking records, what’s this unusual thing that came to everyone’s notice and led to questioning her parents’ marital status?

This season has been all about Caitlin Clark, her college rivals, and somewhat her parents. Everyone wants to know how the two nurtured this talent as their daughter grew up competing against boys to later make it big. However, in a bizarre storyline, fans recently gave air to the speculation that they may be divorcing. All this, based on their seating arrangement at the NCAA Tournament’s second round on March 25, 2024.

The Iowa Hawkeyes defeated the West Virginia Mountaineers in a 64-54 win. Caitlin scored 32, including eight rebounds. Her parents were at her game, as they almost always are. Though, they were seated differently than usual. Normally seated next to one another in the bleachers, they sat apart during this game, which everybody noticed in the post-win close-up that ESPN posted on X.

Some brought up the fact that they had been spotted sitting this way, with their other children positioned between them, during earlier games, too. This served to further fuel speculation about their personal lives.

But all this was just that, a baseless illogical swirl. It is reasonable to assume that Brent and Anne are in a very stable relationship and that something as trivial as seating arrangements should not lead to any such speculation.

However, on a contrary, what is sure is the fact that Caitlin’s parents have inculcated in her the necessary traits to become a legend. Something that comes as a result of a very healthy relation.

Sports run in the family!

After Caitlin made history last year by becoming the all-time leading scorer in NCAA women’s basketball, her father Brent proudly shared, “She’ll look to the stands every so often and I try to give her some reassurance.” Brent, along with his wife, Anne Nizzi-Clark, has attended almost all of their daughter Caitlin’s basketball games and it isn’t only because their daughter plays the best.

Brent participated in collegiate athletics at Simpson College in Iowa, where he played baseball and basketball. On the school’s official Hall of Fame website, he was named to the First Team All-Conference and Second Team All-Conference basketball teams. Additionally, Caitlin’s older brother Blake, who played for Iowa State University, described his family to The Gazette, saying, “We were always involved in sports and at home, we were always around sports.” 

READ MORE: Meet Caitlin Clark’s Father Brent Clark – the First Domino Behind Iowa’s Star’s NCAA “Effect”

But it doesn’t stop at basketball. Her maternal grandfather, Bob Nizzi, played football. In fact, he coached at Dowling Catholic High School in Des Moines, Iowa. Clark had attended the same school and joined the basketball team there. During those days, her father used to coach her for basketball. And so, if you came across the recent video where her father was yelling at her “STOP” after she was seen complaining to the officials during a game, you know what was up!

“I see a lot of myself at times in Caitlin in terms of her passion for the game… All in all, that’s really what drives her and makes her the player that she is,” Brent previously shared with KCRG-TV9.

READ MORE: On Brink of Her WNBA Debut, Caitlin Clark’s Supportive Family Getting Spotlight

This will eventually result in Clark moving to the pro league after leaving a remarkable impact on college basketball. During her final days with the Iowa Hawkeyes, Clark was speculated to be a pick by Indiana Fever. And she transformed that into reality by being the No. 1 pick of Indiana Fever in the 2024 WNBA Draft. Close to 17,000 tickets were claimed for the free draft party at Gainbridge which is the home to Indiana Fever.