NIKA MÜHL: WNBA IS AN IRREVOCABLE EXPERIENCE, I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY WITH THE BEST PLAYERS IN THE WORLD

After an outstanding career at the University of Connecticut, Nika Mühl from Zagreb became a genuine “brand” in women’s basketball. In the WNBA, she was declared the year’s fashion icon.

Nika Mühl is a real basketball star in the USA. She plays for the best clubs and shoots commercials, and her popularity is evidenced by her more than half a million Instagram followers.

After an excellent career at the University of Connecticut, with which she appeared in the NCAA Final Four, she became only the fourth Croatian in the WNBA, playing for the Seattle Storm team. She then played for Besiktas, but she will not fondly remember the season in Turkey, as she suffered a serious knee injury in the first game.

I am currently in the rehabilitation phase and so far time has flown by. I’m looking forward to returning to the field and enjoying the process. As for the forecast of when I could play again, I don’t know. It depends on many details, especially after an injury like mine. Physical fitness is an extremely important factor, but mental fitness will decide. In any case, recovery from this injury can last from nine to 12 months – explains Nika

I am currently in the rehabilitation phase and so far time has flown by. I’m looking forward to returning to the field and enjoying the process. As for the forecast of when I could play again, I don’t know. It depends on many details, especially after an injury like mine. Physical fitness is an extremely important factor, but mental fitness will decide. In any case, recovery from this injury can last from nine to 12 months, explains Nika.

Behind the 23-year-old basketball player from Zagreb is a challenging period, in less than a year she experienced playing in the NCAA, the WNBA, and European basketball.

Yes, last year was turbulent and full of new experiences and thus adaptations to those experiences. It is difficult to compare all three levels of competition, but I can say that the most significant adjustment was after I came from UConn and the college NCAA league to Seattle and the WNBA. There was no time to adjust, and the WNBA season started two weeks after my college season ended. There you have four years to adapt and learn, create chemistry with the team, while in professional basketball at the next level, specifically the WNBA, there is simply no time for that. I was surrounded by the best players in the world there every day. It’s the rhythm of matches and training in which you must manage and do it best. After the WNBA, I also experienced a couple of days of professional basketball in Europe, in Istanbul’s Beşiktaş, until unfortunately I got injured in the third quarter of the first game. I love European basketball, the atmosphere that European fans bring and the complete way of playing, and I can’t wait to play again and experience it.

Nika Mühl is a girl from the Travno district of Zagreb, where she took her first basketball steps. Then, via the Zagreb, Croatia, and Trešnjevka clubs, she arrived at UConn, which, with 11 NCAA championship titles, is the most successful university in the USA. Playing for such a team and student life in America are truly something special.

The overall experience of playing at UConn and staying in America was terrific for me. I didn’t know what to expect when I left home for the unknown at 18, but I am delighted and grateful that it was my decision. A system in which you can play basketball at the highest level, with excellent players and under the leadership of the best female coach in history, and at the same time finish your studies was an offer I could not refuse. UConn has a very high standard when it comes to basketball, and expectations are high. Any championship not won is a failure for them that year. I learned about work, discipline, self-sacrifice, self-confidence, and selflessness there. In addition, I realized the language, created friendships I will have for the rest of my life, traveled, and enjoyed myself. Although being away from home during the year was challenging, I learned to value and appreciate small things and enjoy the moment, especially when I would return home to Zagreb.

Geno Auriemma is one of the most famous basketball coaches in the world. With the American women’s national team, he has three Olympic and two world gold medals, broke many records, and is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame. Under his leadership, UConn players became the most successful in the history of the NCAA competition.

I cannot describe coach Gena in just a few words. She is a particular person I hated and adored throughout my college career. His standards and expectations are at a level that he knows no player will ever reach, and he brings out the best in each of his players. Besides being a genius and perfectionist in basketball, he has an incredible charisma and the power to connect with people and improve them. He changed my life and I always looked at him as a grandfather, especially since I was away from home. Everyone always talks about his successes, championships, rings, and medals. Still, he is primarily a humble and down-to-earth person who influences people much more significantly than basketball.

Nika Mühl played with her Huskies in the NCAA Final Four. We were interested in how athletes “inside” experience the excitement and buzz created every year around one of the most watched events in America.

The attitude of Americans towards women’s basketball was the biggest shock to me when I came to the USA. ‘March Madness’ is a crazy period that I was lucky enough to experience four times, and we even reached the Final Four three times in my four years. That feeling cannot be described. I always get chills just thinking about playing on such a big stage where you can’t hide a mistake and millions of people watching want you to lose and root against you. It’s the dream of every college player and even though we didn’t win the championship, it was one of the best experiences of my life.

It is exciting that Caitlin Clark, then an Iowa State player, guarded Nika directly on the court. Clark is currently the most famous basketball player in the world. Her interest in women’s basketball has “exploded,” and Time magazine named her the athlete of the year. Nika Mühl explained this phenomenon to us firsthand.

Caitlin Clark is a tremendous generational talent, but also a great worker and lover of basketball. She has an incredible feel for the game, and at the same time plays with great ease and confidence, which makes her hard to guard on the court. Her impact on women’s basketball is undeniable and she will go down in history as someone who shook the basketball world and brought women’s basketball the visibility it deserves. Of course, many basketball players before her were responsible for the universal existence and interest in women’s basketball, which is why I had big dreams as a child. Women’s basketball is on the rise in America and it’s terrific to see more and more people falling in love with the game.

The Seattle team selected Nika as the 14th in the WNBA draft, and her first season in the professional league brought new challenges.

I am pleased with my first season in Seattle. Many think that I didn’t, because I didn’t have a lot of minutes, but I gave one hundred percent of myself when absolutely no one was watching and when it was the hardest, and I believe in the saying ‘the more you give, the more you get back’. Regardless of playing, it was an irreplaceable experience. I had the opportunity to learn and play with the best players in the world, with those who were my role models in my basketball beginnings.

Given the popularity and media coverage of the NCAA, college players could earn from sponsorship contracts. We were wondering if Nika could charge for her media exposure?

Unfortunately, at the university I didn’t earn much from sponsors and marketing because that rule did not apply to international players. But that didn’t even matter to me then. I focused only on basketball, so I did not bother about such things. After the draft and going to Seattle, things changed quickly, and I started looking at myself as a kind of ‘brand’ in the sports world, so some opportunities opened up that I could profit from. In my opinion, this is a great advantage of social networks despite its disadvantages. I think the women’s sports world is a whole of different characters and personalities, which make sports more interesting, and everyone has the opportunity and freedom to create their own ‘brand’ uniquely.

Few people in Croatia know that Nika Mühl shot a commercial for Mazda, one of the world’s largest car manufacturers.

It was a great opportunity I couldn’t refuse, so in the middle of the season in Seattle, I flew to Ljubljana for two days to shoot a commercial. The atmosphere was great, and the people I worked with there were terrific, and because of them those two days were worth the whole trip. The collaboration happened spontaneously, and I am grateful to the trainers in Seattle who recognized the importance of such an opportunity and allowed me to miss two days of training to do the filming. Being a part of that story was a great honor for me, and seeing that commercial on television was incredible.

Not only did she shoot a commercial for Mazda, but Nika is already a real “brand” in the world of women’s basketball. She was named fashion icon of the year in the WNBA, and fashion is clearly an important part of her life.

I think fashion is not as important to me as fashion expression and creativity, which everyone possesses regarding appearance. The story that a piece of clothing can tell is compelling, and I love to experiment and be my creative director in fashion. Also, I’ve worn sweatpants and sneakers most of my life, so I always make the most of the opportunity to dress differently. As for the fashion statement – I don’t have an answer. My clothes vary daily, and I always like mixing different fashion eras, but in my own way. I love authenticity, self-confidence, and risk-taking, and that always guides me.

Considering her studies and stay in the USA, Nika has not performed much for the Croatian national team in recent years. However, there is an excellent chance that he will play for the national team.

If there had been no injury, I would definitely have been with the Croatian national team that played the qualifiers for the European Championship. I absolutely desire to play for the Croatian national team when I fully recover, and I am looking forward to that opportunity. Until then, I’m cheering, and I wish them the best of luck — concluded Nika Mühl

SOURCE: Croatian Olympic Committee