“Once she got that offer we kind of knew as a family that it was over,” KK’s mother, Kim, said with a laughter. “The other 33 offers now were probably gone out the door because she got the one offer that from a young age, that’s where she’s always said she wanted to play.” Such is the love that KK Arnold harbors for the Huskies. While others usually wait till they’re on espnW rankings, Kamorea “KK” Arnold seemed committed to the Huskies at 8! She was obsessed with watching UConn and dreamed of playing like Moriah Jefferson & Maya Moore.

While Kamorea might be the star on court, her mother’s recipes have stardom of their own in the Storrs campus. When the Huskies played Maryland during KK’s freshman season, she had but one request. Her mom’s spaghetti with garlic bread. To her mother, Kim Arnold, it didn’t matter that she landed in Hartford just hours before the game, rushing straight to the grocery store once they touched down. Following the Huskies win, The family returned to KK’s apartment around 9 p.m. after the 6:30 p.m. game and got cooking. Once the meal was ready Kamorea invited her teammates to join in and soon the apartment was filled with laughter and the warm smell of fresh food.

It didn’t matter that Kim and Mike had to be up at 3:30 a.m. to catch their flight back home to Wisconsin to get to work on time. They realized in the moment that Kamorea had found a family in Connecticut, one that will support her on and off the court. One that she doesn’t mind sharing her mom’s spaghetti and garlic bread with.

Who are KK Arnold’s parents? What do they do? 

Kamorea’s parents are Mike Arnold and Kimberley Blackwell Arnold. Mike and Kim, married over 30 years, grew up and met in Columbus. When Kim, who works in health care compliance, was presented with a job offer she couldn’t refuse in the Milwaukee area, the family moved to West Allis. Mike, on the other hand does two custodial and maintenance jobs, sometimes back-to-back from 5 a.m. to midnight. He also used to be a custodian for the local school district in Wisconsin when KK was in third grade. It was here that she joined her first organized team that season after her dad noticed the Germantown’s youth club was short players and asked if he could bring his daughter. KK had only started playing a year ago, when her father started coaching her. At the time, He wondered if she would ever understand the sport, as she was constantly called for traveling.

Soon after, KK fell in love with the game. She would always have a basketball in her hand no matter where she was going. In middle school, she used to set an alarm to wake up even earlier than required just so she can wake her dad up and reach practice. Nothing but love for the hoop. Her dad didn’t mind though, in fact he’d been told his daughter has a gift. When Mike picked her up from a fourth-grade travel team sleepover, the father of another player pulled him aside. “He said, ‘Mike, Kamorea is really special,’” Arnold recalls. “‘She’s got a gift.’” Safe to say, the story must’ve become a staple in that household.

KK has been a fan of the Huskies since she was in third grade. That was the year the family gave her a UConn bedroom makeover for her birthday, featuring UConn-themed bedding, posters, and even a Fathead cutout of the Husky mascot. “She said, ‘Man, when I get older, I’m gonna play at UConn and I’m gonna play for Coach Geno and the environment is going to be electric,’” her mom, Kim Arnold, said. Staying true to her word she rejected offers from Baylor, Duke, Florida, North Carolina, Ohio State, Notre Dame, South Carolina, Louisville and more to play for Connecticut. “I say it’s surreal for her dreams to then become reality,” Kim Arnold said. “But then for all of it to surface the way it has is just amazing.” Dribbling two basketballs at the age of 3, Kamorea’s work ethic never allowed her to fall short of her dreams. Talk about speaking your dreams into existence!

While the ride continues to be delightful, Kim Arnold once displayed her discontentment with legendary coach Geno Auriemma on X. After Geno benched Arnold for much of the fourth quarter, despite her stellar defensive performance, her mom, Kimberly Blackwell Arnold, reposted a few tweets that were critical of the coaching decision.

When asked about his decision, he explained, “One of [Arnold’s] biggest roles should be to come in and disrupt the game and change the way the game is played. And I thought she did that.” In Geno’s mind, Arnold had done her job for the night. While it did stir up controversy, it displays the level of belief Kim has in her daughter and her ability to dictate a game.

Does KK Arnold have any siblings?

KK Arnold has four siblings. The youngest of three siblings by 10 years , Mike and Kevin Arnold are her brothers and Mimi Arnold is her sister. KK grew up always tagging along with her older siblings — especially her older sister, Mimi. While both of her parents worked, KK would join Mimi at her own AAU basketball games and workouts. Her sister’s coaches would give KK basketballs to play with to occupy her during workouts. It wasn’t long before KK taught herself to dribble and could dribble multiple balls at once by the age of 3 .

KK’s passion for basketball was sparked by watching Mimi play. She wanted to do anything her older sister did. While Mimi was old enough to walk to the park around the corner of the Arnold’s old home in Ohio alone, Kim remembers having to remind KK she needed to wait for an adult or for her siblings to take her. While Mimi was a fan of Pat Summit and Tennessee, KK became obsessed with Auriemma and the Huskies, taking on a brand of her own.

What is KK Arnold’s parents’ nationality? 

Kim and Mike Arnold are American nationals. They grew up in Columbus. When Kamorea was in fourth grade, the Arnolds moved to Germantown, Wisconsin for youth basketball opportunities that did not exist elsewhere. 

Today, KK is a worthy successor to the projected no.1 pick’s throne. It won’t be easy as she’ll have to fight off many others who shall make their claim. For Kamorea, it was never about the throne, just a dream she once dreamt. “Honestly, I’m really in love with this game. It is something that separates me. It takes me away from life. When I’m having a bad day, I can just grab a ball and feel OK. It’s just my free space. If I don’t have the game honestly, I don’t know what I’d do.”