Nika Muhl’s Injury: Will Storm’s rookie play in 2025 WNBA Season?

Seattle Storm’s rookie guard Nika Muhl’s WNBA career has hit a roadblock. The 23-year-old Croatian guard suffered a torn ACL while playing overseas for Besiktas in the FIBA SuperCup Women’s title game against Fenerbahce.

The injury happened in the third quarter of the game. Muhl was about to initiate a fast break when her left leg collapsed. She immediately went down and cried in pain. She eventually had to be taken off the court on a stretcher.

Besiktas confirmed the extent of Muhl’s injury and revealed that the Crotian had torn her ACL, which will sideline her for the remainder of the European season.

Nika Muhl likely to miss entire 2025 WNBA season

The severity of the injury means that her participation in the 2025 WNBA season is highly uncertain. ACL injuries typically require a lengthy recovery period, often up to a year, which could make her miss the entire WNBA season. And even after making a recovery, the player usually takes months to return to their best.

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Muhl, who was the 14th overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, had a challenging rookie season with the Seattle Storm. She missed the first four games due to visa issues and played sparingly throughout the season.

The rookie guard played just 16 games in the season, averaging 3.6 minutes per game.

Despite these setbacks, the Storm was optimistic about her future, but the latest injury has added uncertainty about her WNBA career.

Notably, Muhl’s rookie scale contract with the Storm is unprotected, adding another layer of complexity to her situation.

The Seattle Storm and their fans will be hoping for a successful recovery for Muhl. As of now, the timeline for her return remains unclear, and the possibility of her returning for the 2025 WNBA season looks bleak.

Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images