Storm Guard Nika Mühl to Miss 2026 Season With Torn ACL
By Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA - Storm point guard Nika Mühl will miss the 2026 WNBA season, after it was announced by the team that she had suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her right knee and underwent successful surgery to repair the ligament. It’s another brutal break for Mühl, who suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and meniscus in her left knee during the offseason ahead of the 2025 WNBA season.
Seattle Storm guard Nika Mühl during the 2024 season at Climate Pledge Arena. (Photos by Rio Giancarlo for Circling Seattle Sports
Mühl suffered the torn ACL in her right knee during a game on March 11th, 2026, while playing for Croatia in the FIBA Women's EuroBasket Qualifiers, checking out with 4:31 remaining in the first quarter of the game against Greece. She’d play just five minutes and 20 seconds in that contest, her second of the Qualifiers, recording a statline of two points, two rebounds, an assist, and two steals.
During that game, Mühl hit the floor after driving to the rim and could be seen on the ground grabbing at her right knee. She’d be helped off the court, unable to put any pressure on that right leg. The 24-year-old point guard would rejoin her team on the bench, but obviously did not play for the rest of the game. This March 11th contest was her second game of the qualifiers, having played previously against Greece back on November 12th, 2025. That game saw Mühl post a statline of 21 points, two rebounds, seven assists, and a steal.
Seattle Storm guard Nika Mühl during the 2024 season at Climate Pledge Arena. (Photos by Liz Wolter for Circling Seattle Sports)
Ahead of the 2025 season, it was announced in November of 2024 that Mühl had suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and meniscus in her left knee during a game on October 3rd while playing for Turkish basketball club, Besiktas. She underwent a successful surgery to repair the ligament and meniscus on November 1st, effectively ending her season at that point, as she never set foot on the court for the Storm during that campaign.
It’s an extremely tough break for Nika, who at least appeared to have a pathway to more minutes this season than her rookie campaign in 2024, considering the uncertainty of the WNBA with how many players are set to hit free agency. Mühl played in 16 of Seattle’s games during that 2024 season, averaging just 3.6 minutes per game as she sat behind Skylar Diggins and Sami Whitcomb as the teams two primary ballhandlers. Mühl had also seemed like a popular pick to find her way to one of the leagues newest expansion teams, Portland or Toronto, but that now becomes unlikely.
The Storm stated in their press release that Mühl is “taking steps towards a healthy recovery and updates on her progress and return to play will be made public when available.”
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