Last week, the University of Connecticut bid adieu to four of their stars who played a critical role in their run to the Final Four in the 2024 NCAA Women’s Basketball tournament. The Huskies’ Paige Bueckers, Aaliyah Edwards, Azzi Fudd, and Nika Muhl completed their graduation this year and were supposed to attend the University’s graduation ceremony last week to celebrate it. While Bueckers, Edwards, and Fudd were front and center at the ceremony, Muhl was nowhere to be seen.
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The Serbian point guard, whom the Seattle Storm picked 14th overall in the 2024 WNBA draft, did not travel to Connecticut to receive her diploma. Instead, she had to stay with her new team to continue preparing for the upcoming season. Since Muhl couldn’t travel to the graduation ceremony in Connecticut, the Storm brought it to her in Seattle.
Nika couldn’t make it to her graduation ceremony in Storrs, so we brought graduation to her ⛈️ pic.twitter.com/Dcz2hk8l33
— Seattle Storm (@seattlestorm) May 11, 2024
Muhl’s teammates surprised the point guard at the Storm’s training facility and paid homage to her time with the program. The 23-year-old was told to wear her graduation gown for taking some pictures, before she was ushered to the surprise ceremony. Muhl was astonished and visibly emotional as she received her diploma in psychological sciences in front of her Storm teammates.
Storm Head Coach Noelle Quinn presented her with the honors. An emotional Muhl struggled to find the words at first before expressing gratitude to her franchise for the surprise ceremony. She said,
“This was not how I imagined my morning to go… I’m very glad and thankful that I got to be a part of this team and that I am a part of this team. There’s no other place I’d rather be at, with people like you guys.”
The Storm’s touching gesture was a fitting tribute to Muhl’s excellent stint with the Huskies. Fans on social media lauded the franchise for throwing their young star a private graduation ceremony. A couple of them had no qualms in admitting that the video made them misty-eyed.
yeah okay you got me there https://t.co/FN2h6IYnEX
— ab (@annieb_41) May 11, 2024
why am i crying wtf https://t.co/niwxmljH19
— ian wrights big coat (@jaskeerat_) May 11, 2024
Few fans were amused by Muhl’s F-bomb at the end of the clip.
Awww I love this so much. I’m so thankful Nika was drafted by Seattle. They’ve always been an A+ organization, and this is one of the reasons why. Thank you for giving our girl the graduation she deserves . Also, Nika at the end had me https://t.co/O8jrh09PsG
— TB (@LivingstonCgl) May 11, 2024
This is so precious
Also Nika at the end there https://t.co/2YUsCJlc1T
— Maggie Vanoni (@maggie_vanoni) May 11, 2024
Nika Muhl will now turn her attention to helping the Seattle Storm turn the tide of the franchise. They finished with an embarrassing 11-29 record in the 2023-24 season and will hope their new point guard helps them to a better record next year.
