Nika Muhl simply could not catch a break this year.
The former UConn standout had just started playing for Turkish team Besiktas after her rookie WNBA season ended, during which she did not play much.
Muhl, who just finished her rookie season with the Seattle Storm, tore her ACL while playing overseas in Turkey.
She sustained the injury during her first game with Turkish basketball team Besiktas during the FIBA Women’s Super Cup against Fenerbahce Opet on Thursday.
In the third quarter of that game, Muhl grabbed a loose ball and fell to the ground, clutching her left knee while screaming in pain.
Nika Muhl was in so much pain that she had to be stretchered off of the court.
In a post on X written in Turkish, Besiktas CEO Özkan Arseven said that an MRI confirmed that the 23-year-old guard had suffered an ACL tear.
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“Today, Nika’s injury has ruined all our morale,” Arseven wrote. “I wish her a speedy recovery.”
Seattle Storm Rookie Nika Muhl Breaks Her Silence After Torn ACL
Seattle Storm point guard Nika Muhl suffered a torn ACL on Thursday while playing overseas for Besiktas.
Muhl was injured during the team’s 79-63 loss to Fenerbahce in the FIBA SuperCup.
It was heartbreaking as the former Connecticut standout was simply trying to get some minutes in that she never really got during her first season in the WNBA.
Muhl, who signed with Besiktas in May, had only recently arrived in Turkey following the Storm’s elimination in the first round of the WNBA playoffs.
On Friday, Muhl finally broke her silence.
She took to her Instagram and posted a few pictures alongside a message:
“Anyone that knows me knows I work my ass off all the time. This time isn’t gonna be any different.
I appreciate all the love and support so much – yall really make this easier for my heart. I am grateful for all the people around me that are true testaments of what belief and perseverance can achieve after being denied hooping.
This is just another opportunity for me to compete, this time against myself. Not to be cocky, but that’s an easy W.”
