T.J. McConnell family tree: Meet Pacers guard’s WNBA sister, Megan, parents, and more
After taking a more unconventional path to the league, Pacers guard T.J. McConnell has established himself as a mainstay and a fan favorite in Indiana.
McConnell is a native of the Pittsburgh area and comes from a family of basketball royalty in the region. With that in mind, it is not surprising that he was able to ascend to high school stardom before beginning his college career at nearby Duquesne and spending a graduate season at Arizona.
Despite going undrafted in 2015, McConnell earned a roster spot with the 76ers before joining the Pacers in 2019 and making his presence felt as the franchise’s second-longest-tenured player during its run to the 2025 NBA Finals.
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Watching McConnell play, it’s evident that basketball means a lot to him and his family. Here’s everything to know about how deep the basketball roots run throughout the McConnell family.
T.J. McConnell sister
McConnell’s sister, Megan, is a rookie with the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury.
Like her oldest brother, McConnell starred at Duquesne after playing at Chartiers Valley High School in Pennsylvania. At Duquesne, Megan was a three-time All-Atlantic 10 performer, earning First Team honors as a junior and senior.
Megan did not hear her name called during the 2025 WNBA Draft but earned an invite to Mercury training camp in April. She was waived before the season began but was brought back in June, making her WNBA debut on June 3.
T.J. McConnell parents
McConnell is the son of Tim and Shelly McConnell.
Tim is the girls basketball coach at Chartiers Valley, a role he took in 2018 to coach Megan. Prior to leading the girls team, Tim spent 26 seasons leading the boys team, coaching T.J. and his younger brother, Matty.
MORE: How T.J. McConnell went from high school rival of SN’s Jordan Greer to an NBA point guard
T.J. McConnell brother
McConnell’s brother, Matty, picked up the basketball gene as well. After playing at Chartiers Valley, Matty signed to play at Robert Morris, where he spent all four seasons of his college career.
From 2015 to 2019, Matty scored 1,156 points over 129 games (120 starts) with the Colonials.
T.J. McConnell wife
In 2017, McConnell married his high school sweetheart, Valerie.
The couple has welcomed two sons, one of whom is often a mainstay at his dad’s games.
wholesome content alert‼️
T.J. McConnell spent some time with his son on the court before tonight’s game.🥹 pic.twitter.com/ihss64NvEA
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) January 28, 2023
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T.J. McConnell aunts and uncle
The basketball connections extend well beyond McConnell’s dad and siblings.
One aunt, Suzie McConnell-Serio, was an All-American at Penn State and played on the 1988 United States Women’s National Team that won Olympic gold in Seoul, Korea. She spent two seasons in the WNBA, coached the Minnesota Lynx from 2003-06, at Duquesne from 2007-2013, and most recently, at the University of Pittsburgh from 2013-18.
His other aunt, Kathy McConnell-Miller, played four seasons at the University of Virginia and is now the women’s head coach at Carnegie Mellon. Other coaching stops include head coaching jobs at Tulsa and Colorado.
His uncle, Tom, is the head coach at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He played collegiately at Butler County (Penn.) Community College before finishing his playing career at Davidson College.
