SEATTLE (AP) — Once it became clear that Nika MühlVisa issues have been resolved and she could finally make her WNBA debut, the rookie of the Seattle Storm I wanted to have a little fun.
With the help of her graphic designer father and some fashion advice from her mother, Muhl laughed off the situation surrounding her first match being delayed, showing up at the arena wearing a t-shirt with “Approved” written on a photo of herself.
“I’ve seen people angry and I’ve seen so much online that I thought I wanted to do something funny with it,” Muhl said. “I want to make people laugh.”
Muhl eventually went from spectator to Storm player, getting a short but memorable stint in Seattle’s 85-83 win over Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever Wednesday evening.
She played 2 minutes, 39 seconds, but when she entered the game late in the third quarter, she received perhaps the loudest ovation from a record crowd of 18,343. She missed the only shot she made, grabbed two rebounds and watched Clark score a three-pointer moments after entering the game.
“I’m so happy I was able to be a part of this adventure and I’m forever grateful,” Muhl said after the game. “I’ll probably go home now and I won’t be able to sleep, I’ll just think about this day and everything that happened.”
Croatian native Muhl’s visa issues came to light just before Seattle’s season opener against Minnesota May 14. She missed that game and all three games of Seattle’s trip.
She explained that there was a lot of paperwork to fill out and the wait for final approvals was sometimes frustrating. She also had to take a short trip to Vancouver, British Columbia, so she could then return to the United States with her approved work visa.
“I felt like I was hurt and I couldn’t play. It reminded me of those moments,” she said. “But honestly, I feel like it was necessary for me in a way because I had to have a positive mindset. And my teammates, my coaches and everyone in the program helped me have a positive mindset.”
Muhl was selected 14th overall in the second round of the WNBA draft after a stellar career at UConn. Already an elite defender, her profile took a major leap forward after she upset 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 harassed all game by Muhl.
Unsurprisingly, it was Muhl who chased Clark onto the field in Seattle for his brief debut.
“I’m really happy I got to play my first game against her,” Muhl said. “I love Caitlin. We had a lot of fun together at the draft. Meeting all these people outside of the game, we hate everyone on the field, we want to compete, but off the field 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
