SEATTLE — The Seattle Storm will again be without the team's top draft pick for Monday night's game in the Big Apple against the New York Liberty.
Nika Muhl is listed as "out" on the team's official injury report, with "pending visa approval" listed as the reason for her absence.
The No. 14 overall draft pick has yet to play in a regular-season game for the Storm this season as she waits for her professional visa to be approved. Muhl is a citizen of Croatia, and her student visa status was terminated once she officially graduated from the University of Connecticut (UCONN).
The Storm is off to a 1-2 start to the 2024 WNBA season, having notched the team's first win of the year Sunday against the Washington Mystics. New York is one of the league's top teams and features former Storm star Breanna Stewart.
Muhl was a highly-touted collegiate player, having broken Storm legend and franchise minority owner Sue Bird's assist record at UCONN. Muhl also drew the difficult assignment during the 2024 NCAA Tournament of matching up with eventual No. 1 overall pick and NCAA all-time leading scorer Caitlin Clark when the two faced off in the Final Four.
The Hartford Courant reported that a P-1 Visa, which Muhl is applying for as an international athlete playing professionally in the U.S., can take up to three to six months to be approved.
Storm fans will eagerly be awaiting an update on Muhl's visa status this week, as Clark and the Indiana Fever will be coming to Seattle on Wednesday for a game. It will be Clark's professional debut in Seattle and comes a few years after she put on a stunning performance to beat the University of Louisville in the Elite 8 of the 2023 NCAA Tournament at Climate Pledge Arena.
