Key Takeaways
- Olivia Miles was unanimously named the 2026 Kia WNBA Rookie of the Year.
- The Minnesota Lynx player set rookie records with eight three-pointers in one game and 790 total points.
- Miles became the 11th rookie in WNBA history to earn a starting spot in the All-Star Game.
It’s a great day to be a WNBA fan and an even better one to be Olivia Miles. On Monday (Sept. 28), the league announced that the Minnesota Lynx guard was unanimously named the 2026 Kia WNBA Rookie of the Year.
The way Olivia found out might be even better. She was sitting inside a restaurant with her teammates when her parents, Yakubu and Maria Miles, surprised her with the award. “Olivia, we are very proud of you, we're happy for this moment, and we're glad that we get to share it with you. Congratulations,” her father said.
“Thank you, Cheryl [Reeve], for choosing me,” Olivia went on to say later in the video. “It was special to have you believe in me, someone who just needed one more year in college to be ready for the pros.” Reeve, who took home her fifth WNBA Coach of the Year award, humorously responded, “We are so happy you took that year.”
“It feels good to have a community and support system of people who believe in you and how well you can play when you have a healthy environment to be in,” No. 5 continued. “And obviously, to my teammates, I love you guys to death. You seriously don’t understand the impact that you’ve had on me. I literally owe it to all my vets. You guys have allowed me to be me since day one.” Take a look below, then scroll for more on Olivia’s incredible rookie season in the W.
Olivia Miles joins an elite list of unanimous WNBA Rookies of the Year
It’s been nothing short of a remarkable season for Olivia. As the W pointed out, she became just the 11th rookie in league history to earn a starting spot in the All-Star Game and broke the single-game rookie record with eight three-pointers against the Golden State Valkyries in June.
Not to mention, Olivia also set the WNBA rookie record for total points at 790, surpassing Caitlin Clark’s 2024 mark by 21. The No. 2 overall pick put up serious numbers on the board all season, on top of racking up plenty of assists and rebounds.
She now joins a very short list of WNBA stars to be named Rookie of the Year unanimously, alongside Aliyah Boston in 2023, A’ja Wilson in 2018, and Candace Parker in 2008. Others include Elena Delle Donne and Tina Charles, according to sports writer Annie Costabile. As some may remember, Clark came incredibly close in 2024 with 66 of 67 votes, with Angel Reese picking up the final one.