Women's Fastbreak On SI

Paige Bueckers Is Certain 'Twin' Nika Muhl Will Bounce Back From ACL Injury

UConn star Paige Bueckers sent a powerful message to her "twin" Nika Muhl after Muhl suffered a torn ACL.

Grant Young

Apr 1, 2024; Portland, OR, USA; UConn Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) celebrates with guard Nika Muhl (10) after beating the USC Trojans in the finals of the Portland Regional of the NCAA Tournament at the Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images
Apr 1, 2024; Portland, OR, USA; UConn Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) celebrates with guard Nika Muhl (10) after beating the USC Trojans in the finals of the Portland Regional of the NCAA Tournament at the Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images / Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Members of the women's basketball community were met with some upsetting news on Thursday when social media posts indicated former UConn Huskies star and current Seattle Storm standout Nika Muhl suffered a knee injury during her game for the Turkish league's Beşiktaş Women's Basketball Team.

Given how the non-contact injury looked and how Muhl was screaming in agony right after it happened, fans feared the worst; which, in the case of knee injuries, means a torn ACL.

And fans had their fears confirmed later on in the day, as Beşiktaş announced that Muhl had indeed suffered a torn ACL ligament in her knee.

This presents a major setback in Muhl's professional career, as she had been playing great overseas before the injury occurred. And not only will this mean she will miss the rest of Beşiktaş's season, but will miss most of the Storm's 2025 campaign as well.

Paige Bueckers — who is Muhl's close friend and former teammate at UCONN — tore her ACL in 2022 and therefore knows what the process is like.

And Bueckers sent a message to Muhl on her Instagram story, sharing a photo of them embracing on the court with the caption, "My strong strong twin. Nothing you can't handle Lets do it... God speed! 🫶 @nika.muhl".

Muhl also addressed the injury via an Instagram post, writing, "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," she concluded.

Here's to a speedy recovery for the 23-year-old.

Published
Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

Home/News