Minnesota Lynx guard Olivia Miles was named the unanimous WNBA rookie of the year for 2026 following a record setting season for the former Notre Dame stand out.
Miles broke Caitlin Clark’s record for the most points scored in a season by a rookie as she helped propel the Lynx to a top overall seed heading into the WNBA playoffs. 2026’s second overall pick averaged 19.8pts/4.7reb/6.0ast per game across 40 contests this season, all while shooting 49.2% from the field, 87% from the free throw line and 38.8% from beyond the arc.
Miles became just the 11th rookie in WNBA history to be named an All-Star starter and earned Western Conference Player of the Week honours twice throughout the season. Her many other accomplishments from her rookie season include:
- Posted a WNBA rookie-record six games with 20 or more points while shooting at least 50.0 percent from the field, 40.0 percent from three-point range and 90.0 percent from the free throw line.
- Set a WNBA single-game rookie record with eight three-point field goals against the Golden State Valkyries on June 4.
- Became the fastest player in WNBA history to reach 500 points and 150 assists (26 games), breaking Bueckers’ mark of 28 games set last season.
- Became the second rookie in WNBA history to average at least 15.0 points and 5.0 assists and shoot 45.0 percent or higher from the field in a season, joining Bueckers (2025).
- Became the third rookie in WNBA history to record multiple games with 20 or more points while shooting at least 80.0 percent from the field, matching Boston (2023) and Bueckers (2025) with two such games each.
- Became the eighth rookie in WNBA history to score 30 or more points in at least three games.
- Became the first rookie and fourth player in WNBA history to record at least 10 points, 10 assists and four blocks in a game, joining Veronica Burton, Clark and Candace Parker. Miles had 14 points, 10 assists and four blocks against the Portland Fire on July 18.
- Became the 10th player in WNBA history to have at least 30 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in a game, recording 32 points, eight rebounds and eight assists against the Seattle Storm on July 20.
- Set Minnesota’s single-game rookie scoring record with 33 points against the Phoenix Mercury on July 13.
- Scored 10 or more points in each of her first 15 games, the longest such streak by a Lynx rookie.
- Dealt a season-high 13 assists against the Dallas Wings on Aug. 9, one shy of the Lynx franchise single-game record shared by Noelle Quinn and Lindsay Whalen.
It’s been an impressive first year in the W for the 23 year old, who looks more like a 10 year veteran than a player making her professional debut. Many scouts believed she was the top overall prospect in the draft class by a decent margin, but ultimately fell to number 2 after Dallas selected Azzi Fudd out of UConn with the number 1 pick.
Reuniting last year’s rookie of the year, Paige Bueckers, with her former collegiate teammate resulted in a playoff berth for the Wings following a 2025 season in which they won just 10 games total. However, depending on how Fudd continues to develop, Miles could end up being a continual reminder of what they could have had for the next decade plus.
The talented rookie joins fellow Lynx Crystal Dangerfield, Napheesa Collier, Maya Moore, Seimone Augusts, and Betty Lennox as players to bring home to league’s top rookie prize in franchise history.
Photo: John Mac. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.