The UConn Huskies have hit a rough patch lately, splitting their last four games under Geno Auriemma. Their most recent setback was against the USC Trojans, and it wasn’t just the loss grabbing attention—Auriemma faced criticism for some questionable rotation decisions. One name that popped up in the chatter was KK Arnold, who didn’t see much time on the court. But while Arnold’s minutes may have been limited, she’s making major moves off the court. The latest buzz?

The UConn guard is making waves beyond basketball, teaming up with a trillion-dollar brand to showcase her star power. In a recent Instagram story, she promoted Amazon Music in style. Rocking a casual training outfit, she was seen outdoors, dribbling with ease while narrating the features and perks of the platform in the background.

She tagged “#AMAZONPARTNER” in her story and even included a link to subscribe to the Amazon Music app. The post also mentioned Amazon Music and Post Game Official, the college NIL management brand likely responsible for bringing this incredible partnership to KK Arnold.

With Amazon currently valued at $2.37 trillion, this marks one of the biggest partnerships in Arnold’s college career.

At just 19 and in her sophomore year, KK Arnold is still working toward a breakthrough in fame and NIL success. Her Instagram account currently has 142,000 followers. Despite this, she’s already partnered with brands like La Roche-Posay, TruFru, and Epsilon Marketing.

During her freshman season, Arnold appeared in 39 games, starting 33 of them. Wearing the Huskies’ #2 jersey, she averaged 30.3 minutes on the court and contributed 8.9 points per game. However, this season, KK has experienced a shift in her role on UConn’s roster, with reduced starts and playing time.

KK Arnold’s role shift and Geno Auriemma’s controversial bench decision in UConn’s narrow loss

KK Arnold has played in all 12 games for UConn this season, but things look a bit different compared to last year. As a freshman, she was frequently part of the starting lineup, but this season, she hasn’t cracked the starting five even once. On top of that, her court time has taken a hit, averaging just 20.8 minutes per game so far. In UConn’s narrow loss to the USC Trojans, Arnold spent just 15 minutes on the court, contributing five points.

UConn was once holding a 65-64 lead when head coach Geno Auriemma made the decision to bench KK Arnold. Despite her energetic performance, Arnold remained on the sidelines for nearly the entire fourth quarter, only returning to the game in the final 55 seconds. The decision drew criticism from fans, and even Arnold’s mother didn’t hold back, taking a candid jab at the coach.

Amid the flood of frustrated tweets, KK Arnold’s mother, Kimberly Blackwell Arnold, shared a sharp comment that read, “Not understanding these days. KK Arnold’s energy single-handedly got UConn back in the game, and she’s rewarded with 0 fourth-quarter minutes?” 

She had also retweeted another comment which read, “KK Arnold not being in until the last 55 secs of the fourth was a choice 🙄.”

Despite the backlash, Auriemma stood by his decision and offered an explanation. “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,” he said.

In the head coach’s view, Arnold had fulfilled her role for the night. While his reasoning didn’t exactly win over the fans, the coach seemed confident in his choice. It will be interesting to see how Arnold’s role evolves in future games. Meanwhile, Arnold seems unfazed by being benched, instead celebrating her partnership with Amazon Music.