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The 2024 WNBA draft has a lot of interesting prospects that are entering the professional ranks and one of them is the Croatian point guard Nika Muhl. The 23-year-old was drafted 14th overall by the Seattle Storm.
Spending four years with the UConn Huskies from 2020 to 2024, Muhl enters the WNBA carrying not just her college experience but also international professional basketball knowledge after playing at the First League of Croatia for the Ženski košarkaški klubfrom 2016 to 2020.
As she sets foot in the WNBA, Nika Muhl gave Seattle Storm fans a glimpse of what she would look like sporting the green and yellow jersey.
In the picture shared by @aysiacchanell on the social media platform X, the two-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year will be wearing the #1 jersey, away from her usual #10 which was worn by Sue Bird and retired by the Storm.
Nika Muhl is the highest draft pick by the Seattle Storm and she is set to have her professional debut in the WNBA on opening day on May 14 against the Minnesota Lynx. She is expected to come off the bench and form a deep guard rotation with Jewel Lloyd, Sami Whitcomb and Skylar Diggins-Smith.
Nika Muhl draws comparison to Seattle Storm legend Sue Bird
It seems like serendipity that the Seattle Storm drafted Nika Muhl after Sue Bird retired from professional basketball playing for two decades from 2002 to 2022. Both players have been compared to each other with not just the way they play but also their backgrounds and looks.
The striking resemblance started when Muhl decided to wear the #10 jersey for UConn, which was also used by Bird in her college days. Both sport pony-tailed hair while playing and standing close to each other at five-foot-nine and five-foot-ten.
Muhl also broke Bird's single-season record in assists in college by a margin of five.
Right after being selected by the Seattle Storm in the 2024 NBA draft, Muhl even got an inspirational message from Bird and jokingly added how their jersey numbers would play out.
"All that hard work, your leadership, everything else that makes you the player you are is coming with you to Seattle and I know the fan base is going to love you. I guess we just got to figure out this jersey number thing, huh?" said Bird.
As Nika Muhl is set to embark on her journey in the WNBA, she faces the challenge of following in the footsteps of Sue Bird, a four-time WNBA champion and 13-time WNBA All-Star.
