As you may have heard, this year’s WNBA rookie class has been dominating the league’s news cycle. Between Caitlin Clark causing the entire sports media world to lose its mind, Angel Reese admitting that she thought certain parts of the pros would be harder, and Cameron Brink showing off her impressive closet night after night, the rookies have made the conversation around women’s basketball louder than ever.
But with all due respect to the rest of the crew, a less-heralded rookie has earned the title of Best Dressed. Nika Mühl, the Seattle Storm’s second-round pick, has been delivering hit after hit. With Sue Bird, the Storm’s previous fashion icon, now enjoying retirement, the 23-year-old Mühl has taken the torch and run with it. Like Bird, Mühl played collegiately at the University of Connecticut, where she made a name for herself with tenacious defense, mainly the immense pressure she put on Clark during the Iowa-UConn matchup at the Final Four. But the chatter about her attire really ramped up at the draft, where Mühl went 14th overall to Seattle, and did so in one of the night’s best outfits. From the glasses by Mugler and Gentle Monster to the Amina Muaddi shoes—can’t forget the tasteful grill, either, which she told GQ is a tribute to her hometown—Mühl came correct.
Her tunnel fits have only gotten better from there. While Mühl hasn’t gotten the playing time that Clark, Reese, and Brink have (not uncommon for a second rounder, whose team is also tied for most wins in the Western Conference), she hasn’t let that stop her from getting fits off. If anyone can pull off a pleated skirt and a leather Hard Rock Cafe vest, it’s Mühl.
She’s got a sense of humor, too. Mühl was born and raised in Croatia before heading stateside to play college basketball at UConn. Her WNBA career was briefly paused by some visa issues, but once everything got sorted out, Mühl strode through the arena in a T-shirt with a giant APPROVED stamp.
“To print the shirt was faster than to get my visa. It was in one day,” she told ESPN, also mentioning that her mother originally got her into clothing, and her father is a graphic designer who put together the mock visa for the shirt. As for the increased attention she’s gotten as one of basketball’s new style gods, she said, “Blew up, didn’t expect it, but, yeah, it was pretty cool.”
Her Instagram is full of bangers, including the post announcing that she was declaring for the draft, which features maybe the hardest photo UConn head coach Geno Auriemma has ever taken. Other hoopers have taken notice, too, often flooding the comments to voice their approval for the rook’s fashion eye. Her employer has gotten into the game as well, hyping up many of her tunnel looks. A card-carrying member of Gen Z, Mühl cannot resist a fuzzy bucket hat and baggy jeans.
Many have also taken notice of her resemblance—both in physical appearance and sartorial sense—to Charli xcx, another inescapable presence this summer. The WNBA train shows no signs of slowing down, and the fact that the players’ entrances have become part of the show is another great sign of the league’s cultural relevance. With Charli’s “Brat” tour descending upon Seattle in October, just days after the WNBA Finals will wrap up, maybe she’ll reserve a seat for Nika Mühl.
