SEATTLE (AP) — Once it became clear that Nika MühlVisa issues were resolved and she would finally be able to make her WNBA debut, the rookie of the Seattle Storm I wanted to have a little fun.
With the help of her father – a graphic designer – and some sartorial advice from her mother, Muhl laughed off the situation surrounding the delay of her first game and showed up at the arena. wear a T-shirt with “Approved” written on a photo of herself.
“I saw people being angry and I saw so many things online and I was like, I want to make something funny out of this,” Muhl said. “I want to make people laugh.”
Muhl eventually moved from spectator to Storm, getting a short but memorable stint in Seattle’s 85-83 victory. Caitlin Clark and the Indiana fever Wednesday evening.
She played the entire 2 minutes and 39 seconds, but when she entered at the end of the third quarter, it may have been the loudest ovation from a record crowd of 18,343 people. She missed the only shot she took, grabbed two rebounds and saw Clark make a step-back 3 moments after she recorded it.
“I’m so lucky to be a part of this and I’ll be forever grateful,” Muhl said after the game. “I’ll probably go home now and I won’t be able to sleep, and just think about this day and everything that happened.”
Visa issues for Muhl, originally from Croatia, came to light just before Seattle’s season opener against Minnesota on May 14. She missed that game and all three games of Seattle’s road trip.
She said there was a lot of paperwork to complete and the process of waiting for final approvals became frustrating at times. She also had to make a quick trip to Vancouver, British Columbia, so she could then re-enter the United States with her approved work visa.
“I felt like I was injured and couldn’t play. It reminded me of that time,” she said. “But honestly, I feel like it was necessary for me in a way because I had to integrate it into a state of positive mind. And my teammates, my coaches and everyone in the program helped me put him in a positive mindset.
Muhl was the No. 14 pick in the second round of the WNBA draft after a stellar career at UConn. Already an elite defender, her profile took a major jump after upsetting Clark in the national semifinal between UConn and Iowa. Clark finished with 21 points on 7-of-18 shooting in Iowa’s 71-69 win, but was hounded all game by Muhl.
Not surprisingly, Muhl chased Clark down the field in Seattle for his brief debut.
“I’m very happy that I got to play my first match against her,” Muhl said. “I love Caitlin. We had a lot of fun together at the draft. To meet all these people outside of games, you hate everyone on the field, you want to compete, but outside we’re all good friends and we support each other.
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WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
Tim Booth, Associated Press
