KK Arnold: KK Arnold commends ex-UConn stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier’s next big step in women’s basketball: “It was super cool”

KK Arnold is making note of the impact former UConn stars have on the world of women's basketball. On Wednesday's episode of "Barrier Breakers," Arnold discussed fellow Huskies Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier creating Unrivaled.

"It was super cool," Arnold said about witnessing the former UConn stars create Unrivaled. "Also, just another opportunity for players to just stay in one place and get better where they are. The Unrivaled League was in Miami, so I feel like everybody got an opportunity to settle in, learn from each other." (16:18)

Unrivaled is coming off its inaugural season. The 3-on-3 league features 36 of the top players in the WNBA and allows these stars to further hone their skill sets during the WNBA offseason. The season is eight weeks long and takes place in a custom-built facility in Miami.

Along with finding the league, Stewart and Collier also played in Unrivaled last season. The two faced off in the league's opening game, and Stewart scored the first basket in league history.

“I can’t even put it into words what it’s going to be like,” Stewart said about Unrivaled in January (h/t CBS News). “But just the fact that there’s so much hype, there’s so much content, so much chatter about opening night and we worked really hard to get to this point both on and off the court. Excited to kind of just go in and showcase what we’ve done.”

Basketball: Unrivaled-Mist at Lunar Owls - Source: Imagn

Collier also had her fair share of success in the first Unrivaled season. She led the league in scoring with 25.7 points per game on her way to being named Unrivaled's inaugural MVP.

NCAA Women's Basketball: Final Four National Championship - Source: Imagn

KK Arnold's role in UConn's national championship season

After serving as a starter during her freshman campaign, Arnold emerged as a role player off the bench for UConn this season and was an essential part of the team's NCAA Tournament-winning season.

The 5-foot-9 guard appeared in all 40 games for the Huskies, averaging 21.2 minutes on the court. She put up 5.5 ppg, 2.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game and highlighted her defensive depth with 1.5 average steals.

Arnold is a solid shooter, knocking down 47.4% of her shots this season. Her athleticism, ball handling, passing expertise and reputation as a hype woman for her teammates were invaluable to the Huskies this season as they brought home their first national championship since 2016.

About the author

Lindsey Ware is a college sports journalist at Sportskeeda with over five years of experience working with publications such as The News & Observer, The Daily Tar Heel, Triangle Tribune and Cardiac Cane. She has also worked for Major League Baseball, The Holly Springs Salamanders, The Tri-City Chili Peppers, Tuffy Talk, Super Meteors Basketball, Just Good Network and Living Sport.

Lindsey has a Bachelor’s Degree in Media and Journalism from UNC Chapel Hill. Her education allowed Lindsey to gain experience in sports communication, which she honed in internships. Other than being a storyteller and sports fanatic, Lindsey is also a social media and marketing specialist.

Her favorite college team is UNC, although she grew up a N.C. State fan as both of her parents are Wolfpack alumni. Michael Jordan was a huge deal in North Carolina when Lindsey was growing up, and after a summer spent at UNC’s Sports Journalism Camp back in high school, Lindsey was set on being a Tar Heel.

Lindsey's favorite college coach of all time is Roy Williams. During her time attending UNC Chapel Hill and writing for The Daily Tar Heel, Lindsey was lucky enough to meet and speak with Williams a few times. He was like a celebrity on UNC’s campus and was beloved for his coaching style and success with the Tar Heels, accumulating three NCAA championship titles in 18 years.

When not watching or writing about sports, Lindsey enjoys reading, trying new restaurants and coffee shops, and spending time with my friends, family and dog. She also likes to journal, watch movies and paint.

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Edited by Ribin Peter