Nika Mühl (/mjuːl/ MYOOL; born 9 April 2001) is a Croatian professional basketball player for the Seattle Storm of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball as a point guard for the UConn Huskies.[1] Twice named Big East Conference Defensive Player of the Year while in college, Mühl is UConn's all-time leader in career assists, with 686, and also holds the program records for most assists in a single season (284, set in 2022–23) and in a single game (15 against NC State on November 20, 2022). She was selected 14th overall by Seattle in the 2024 WNBA draft.
 Mühl with UConn in 2022 | |
| No. 1 – Seattle Storm | |
|---|---|
| Position | Point guard |
| League | WNBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | 9 April 2001 Zagreb, Croatia |
| Listed height | 183 cm (6 ft 0 in) |
| Listed weight | 71 kg (157 lb) |
| Career information | |
| High school | III. Gymnasium (Zagreb) |
| College | UConn (2020–2024) |
| WNBA draft | 2024: 2nd round, 14th overall pick |
| Selected by the Seattle Storm | |
| Playing career | 2016–present |
| Career history | |
| 2016–2020 | ŽKK Trešnjevka 2009 |
| 2024–present | Seattle Storm |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Club career
ŽKK Trešnjevka 2009
Mühl played four seasons for ŽKK Trešnjevka 2009 in the Croatian Prva Ženska Liga, from 2016 to 2020.[2][3] She appeared in 24 games in the Prva liga in her first season, averaging 6.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists.[4] The following season she averaged 9.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.0 assists in the Prva Ženska Liga and 11.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists in the Women Adriatic Basketball Association (WABA).[5]
In 2018–2019, she averaged 10.0, 7.9 and 6.2 assists in the Prva Ženska Liga and 11.7 points, 7.7 rebounds and 6.2 assists in the WABA. She continued her stellar performance with Trešnjevka during the 2019–2020 season; Mühl averaged 8.6 points and 7.1 assists in the Prva Ženska Liga and 11.7 points and 7.2 assists in the WABA.[6]
College career
Recruiting
Mühl received scholarship offers from several NCAA Division I basketball programs, including Oregon, Ohio State, Louisville, and San Francisco.[7] On April 8, 2019, Mühl announced her commitment to the University of Connecticut. She credited Coach Auriemma's personal trip to Croatia as one reason for her decision: “He was the first one to visit. He made me think that he really cared and that he really wanted me there.”[8] On November 13, 2019, Mühl signed a National Letter of Intent with UConn.[9][10]
Freshman
During her freshman season, Mühl averaged 5.0 points, 2.7 assists, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.8 steals across 22 games. She made 14 consecutive starts.[11] On 25 February 2021, she scored a season high 19 points in an 81-49 victory against Creighton.[12] In UConn’s first game against High Point in the NCAA Tournament, Mühl rolled her ankle and needed to be helped off the court. She missed the next three games and was unable to return to form in the Final Four.[13]
Sophomore
Mühl was named Big East Defensive Player of the Year for the 2021–22 season[14] after averaging 2.2 steals per game, second best in the Big East, and headlining the Huskies defense which allowed a league best of 50.8 points per game against conference opponents.[15]
Junior
With Paige Bueckers out for the season, Mühl became UConn’s most important player.[16] Mühl took on the role of leader on both the defensive and offensive end. On November 20, 2022 she set the program record for most assists in a single game with 15 against NC State, a record held previously by teammate Paige Bueckers.[17] She also has led the nation in assists per game for most of the 2022-2023 season, only finishing behind Caitlin Clark by .2 assists. In the final regular-season game against Xavier, Mühl recorded seven assists to bring her season total to 236, five more than the single-season school record set by Sue Bird in 2002.[18] Starting throughout UConn's three games in the Big East Tournament and three more in the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament, Mühl finished the season with 284 assists.[19]
Senior
Mühl's senior season at UConn in 2023-2024 was impressive, showcasing her skill and leadership on the court. During her final year she played 39 games, all as a starter, averaging 32.1 minutes per game. Her field goal percentage was 46.2%, with a three-point shooting percentage of 40.2%. Over the course of the season, Mühl averaged 6.9 points, 6.5 assists, and 4.0 rebounds per game, along with 1.3 steals. Her performance earned her a spot on the All-Big East second team.[citation needed]
Perhaps the signature memory from her college career, and senior season, will be the Final Four tournament game against Iowa on April 5, 2024. During the game, Nika had the responsibility of guarding super star Caitlin Clark. Nika's incredible lock-down defense during this matchup earned her the nickname "Secretary of Defense", highlighted her intensity and ability as a defender, and showcased her all-around commitment to being a team player and doing whatever it takes to win. Mühl finished her final college game with 9 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds and played all 40 minutes.[citation needed]
Professional career
WNBA
Mühl was asked to attend the 2024 WNBA draft in person and selected in the second round as the 14th pick overall by the Seattle Storm. On May 13, the team announced that Mühl had made the final roster for the 2024 Seattle Storm season.[20]
National team career
Represented Croatia at the 2018 FIBA U18 European Championship averaging 10.9 points, 5.7 assists, and 5.0 rebounds per game.[21]
Career statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game | FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage |
| FT% | Free throw percentage | RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game | BPG | Blocks per game |
| TO | Turnovers per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high | ° | League leader | * | Led Division I |
WNBA
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Seattle | 0 | 0 | .0 | – | – | – | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 |
| Career | 0 | 0 | .0 | – | – | – | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |
College
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020–21 | UConn | 23 | 15 | 24.4 | .381 | .343 | .727 | 2.4 | 2.7 | 1.7 | 0.2 | 1.9 | 4.9 |
| 2021–22 | UConn | 33 | 19 | 21.7 | .431 | .342 | .222 | 3.0 | 2.6 | 1.4 | 0.2 | 1.5 | 3.8 |
| 2022–23 | UConn | 36 | 36 | 36.6 | .412 | .343 | .729 | 3.9 | 7.9 | 1.5 | 0.1 | 1.4 | 7.1 |
| 2023–24 | UConn | 39 | 39 | 32.1 | .462 | .402 | .571 | 4.0 | 6.5 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 2.6 | 6.9 |
| Career | 131 | 109 | 29.4 | .427 | .362 | .658 | 3.5 | 5.2 | 1.4 | 0.2 | 5.8 | 5.8 | |
Personal life
Mühl was born in Zagreb, Croatia to parents Roberta and Darko Mühl, both of whom played basketball.[23][24] She has one younger sister, Hana Mühl,[2][25] who plays for Ball State University.[26] Other than her native Croatian, Mühl speaks English fluently and can speak limited German.[27]
In April 2024, Mühl attended Kelsey Plum's second annual Dawg Class, a 3-day camp to help top women college athletes transition from collegiate to professional basketball.[28] The 2024 camp was held at the IMG Academy and sponsored by Under Armour.[28]
Awards and honors
- College