After a middling start to her professional career, Nika Mühl suffered a major setback on Oct. 3 by tearing her ACL in her first game overseas. The injury occurred in Turkey just over one week after the Seattle Storm were eliminated by the Las Vegas Aces in the playoffs to end their 2024 season.

Following the injury, Mühl was showered with messages of support and encouragement. Paige Bueckers, Mühl's former collegiate teammate, made sure to be one of the first to let her friend know that she was in her corner.

“I talked to Nika before practice, before she got the news,” Bueckers said to Erik Dobratz of WTNH News. “I know she's got a great support system here and I know the journey ahead of her is not going to be easy but if there's anything about Nika, I know that she'll crush it. She'll just want to destroy the entire rehab and coming back process. It's the worst.

“You don't wish injuries on anybody. We got a whole crew here praying for her. Obviously, it's devastating but we just want to be present and be there to support her.”

 

Nika Mühl and Paige Bueckers have shared a close relationship throughout their time at UConn. The two guards were a part of the program's highly lauded 2020 recruiting class, boosted by Bueckers being widely considered the top prospect of the year.

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However, despite enrolling at UConn in the same year, Bueckers is preparing for her final season in Mansfield while Mühl just wrapped up her rookie year in the WNBA. The former sat out the 2022-2023 season with her own torn ACL, giving her an additional year of eligibility.

Nika Mühl's WNBA rookie season

Nika Muhl speaks in an interview after she is selected with the number fourteen overall pick to the Seattle Storm in the 2024 WNBA Draft at Brooklyn Academy of Music.
Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

While Nika Mühl has yet to firmly establish herself in the WNBA, she cemented her legacy at UConn by ending her collegiate tenure as the program's all-time leader in assists. The Croatian was never much of a dynamic scorer but was a key part of the team's four consecutive Big East titles as a two-time conference Defensive Player of the Year award winner.

After four successful years at UConn, Mühl was selected by the Seattle Storm with the 14th overall pick of the 2024 WNBA Draft. She became the second Husky to be selected on the night, following Aaliyah Edwards, who was taken 6th overall by the Washington Mystics.

Throughout the 40-game season, Mühl took the court 16 times for the Storm with zero starts. In the regular season finale on Sept. 19, Mühl recorded a season-high 14 minutes and posted two points, two rebounds, three assists and one steal.