Nika Muhl and Paige Bueckers were close teammates back at the UConn Huskies, although the two diverged as they entered the pro scene. After Bueckers had a great performance on Wednesday night’s match against the Phoenix Mercury, Muhl reacted with admiration over the WNBA rookie.
Bueckers scored a career-high 35 points, six rebounds, and four assists in the 93-80 loss against the Mercury. Still, the 23-year-old’s performance garnered huge attention, with people constantly watching her matches.
One of the fans watching Bueckers’ games is Nika Muhl. On her late Instagram story, the Croatian guard shared a highlight from her former teammate achieving the 30-point mark, captioning it with “Cmon now.”
Nika Muhl was a vital part of the Huskies, and her impact was truly felt in her junior year, where she led the team amidst Bueckers’ ACL injury. She led the team to a 31-5 record and to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen.
Muhl and Bueckers played for one more season in 2024, where they went to the Final Four. The Zagreb native declared for the WNBA draft after.
Drafted 14th overall last season, Muhl played for the Seattle Storm, playing for 16 games for only 3.6 minutes and 0.6 rebounds. She also played for the Turkish team Besiktas, where tragedy occurred for the 24-year-old as she twisted her knee after a rebound during an October 3 game. She fell straight to the ground and began screaming in pain.
Later, it was revealed that Nika Muhl had torn her ACL and meniscus and would miss the rest of the 2024 Turkish League season. Despite undergoing surgery last November 1, she remains in recovery today.
Nika Muhl will be absent for the whole 2025 WNBA season
Last March, the Seattle Storm announced that Nika Muhl would be sidelined for the rest of the 2025 season due to her knee injury, drastically jeopardizing Muhl’s hopes for a comeback on her second stint.
The announcement, relayed via ESPN’s Kevin Pelton, wrote that Muhl, along with Jordan Horston, who was injured also outside of the WNBA, will be placed under the Storm’s suspended list, removing their salaries from the team’s cap limit. Their contract will resume next season.
“The Seattle Storm have placed forward Jordan Horston and guard Nika Muhlon on the suspended list, ruling them out for the 2025 season, the team announced Friday,” Pelton wrote.
Averaging 5.8 points, 5.2 assists, and 1.4 rebounds throughout her stint at the Huskies, Nika Muhl’s point guard expertise remains a credential for her WNBA stint, and the Storm might need her youth energy as she recovers.
For more basketball content, click on Hardwood Heroics. Sabel Reyes can be reached through [email protected]. Other websites under the Sports Heroics umbrella are Gridiron Heroics and Wisconsin Heroics.
Sabel has been working as a field reporter for People’s Television Network (PTV), mainly about the Philippine Basketball Association since 2016 and has been elevated to Executive Producer for sports in 2022. Aside from being on top of the Philippine sports scene, she is also a running enthusiast. You can also follow her on X at @SabelReyes2 and Instagram at @msabelreyes.
