"Curl those 10s," "Okay muscles": Paige Bueckers, Kamorea Arnold, and UConn stars rally behind Nika Muhl’s inspiring gym mantra

Paige Bueckers and her UConn teammates set aside their disappointing loss to Notre Dame on Thursday to celebrate WNBA star, Nika Muhl. The Seattle Storm star posted photos of herself from a workout session in a gym on Instagram.

"If it don’t hurt, it won’t work," she captioned the post.

Bueckers and some of her teammates joined other fans to hail the basketball star in the comment section.

"Curl those 10s girl," Bueckers commented.

"Okay muscles," UConn forward, Ice Brady commented.

"Work work don’t stop," forward Aubrey Griffin wrote.

"ON MY SOUL😛," guard Kamorea Arnold wrote.

Paige Bueckers and UConn teammates rally behind Nika Muhl’s inspiring gym mantra on IG. Image via @nika.muhl

Nika Muhl is a former UConn star and the Huskies all-time career assist record holder with 689, a feat she achieved in her senior year. As a senior, Muhl started all 39 games and averaged 6.9 points, 4.0 rebounds and 50 steals per game. She was selected as the No. 14 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA draft.

Nika Muhl reflects on WNBA rookie season and move to Europe

Nika Muhl was regarded as one of the most promising players in women's basketball. However, the 23-year-old has endured an underwhelming time since going pro.

The Storm rookie admitted the challenge of a fast-paced schedule of professional basketball was tougher than she expected. In a candid chat with teammate, Sami Whitcomb, the guard reflected on her rookie season and the challenges she faced.

"The most surprising thing was how quickly you have to move on from a loss," she said.

Muhl's transition from college basketball was not as smooth as she had hoped. She struggled with limited playing time, coming off the bench in 16 games, averaging 3.6 minutes, 0.1 points, 0.6 rebounds, 0.4 assists and 0.1 steals per game.

As a result, Muhl moved to Europe and signed with Turkish club Besiktas JK in search of a fresh start. However, she suffered a season-ending ACL injury and has been on the sidelines since then.

But Muhl has not given up on her ambitions, as she remained optimistic that things would turn around.

"It's a learning curve," she said. "I know I can turn this around with time and experience."

For now, the former UConn star is focusing on her recovery, updating fans about her journey on social media. Her updates had garnered support from family and fans, including former UConn teammate, Bueckers and others.