Minnesota Lynx guard Olivia Miles is the 2026 Kia WNBA Rookie of the Year, and the vote wasn’t close. Miles earned all 74 first-place votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters, announced by the league on Sept. 28.
A Historic Rookie Season
Miles started all 40 games she played for Minnesota and averaged 19.8 points, 6.0 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 31.0 minutes per game. She shot 49.2 percent from the field, 38.8 percent from three and 87.0 percent at the free throw line.
Her season also rewrote the rookie record book:
- Most points by a rookie: 790, passing Caitlin Clark’s 769 from 2024.
- Most 20-point games by a rookie: 22, passing Seimone Augustus’ 20 in 2006.
- Most threes in a game by a rookie: eight, against the Golden State Valkyries on June 4.
- Fastest to 500 points and 150 assists: 26 games, beating Paige Bueckers’ mark of 28 set last season.
Leading the Rookie Class
Miles led all rookies in total points, points per game, field goals made (279), defensive rebounds (163), total assists (239), assists per game and efficiency (21.4). Among all WNBA players this season, she ranked seventh in assists per game and eighth in scoring average.
Among rookies in league history, she finished second in total assists behind Clark, third in scoring average and fifth in assists per game.
Setting the Standard in Minnesota
Miles also set Lynx franchise rookie records for points, assists, three-pointers made and minutes played (1,239). Her 19.8 points per game trails only Augustus (21.9 in 2006) among Minnesota rookies. She scored 10 or more points in each of her first 15 games, the longest such streak by a Lynx rookie, and her 33-point night against the Phoenix Mercury on July 13 set the franchise’s single-game rookie scoring record.
Some of her other standout moments:
- Became the first rookie, and fourth player in WNBA history, with at least 10 points, 10 assists and four blocks in a game (14 points, 10 assists, four blocks vs. Portland, July 18).
- Posted 32 points, eight rebounds and eight assists against the Seattle Storm on July 20.
- Dished a season-high 13 assists against the Dallas Wings on Aug. 9, one shy of the Lynx single-game record.
- Swept all four Rookie of the Month awards and was voted an All-Star starter, becoming the 11th rookie in league history to earn that honor.
The Road Here
A Phillipsburg, N.J., native, Miles played her college ball at TCU and Notre Dame before Minnesota selected her with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft. She joins a Rookie of the Year lineage that includes Bueckers (2025), Clark (2024), Aliyah Boston (2023) and A’ja Wilson (2018). She’ll receive $15,000 and a commemorative trophy.
What’s Next
Led by Miles, Minnesota finished 33-11 and earned the No. 1 seed in the WNBA Playoffs, where the Lynx are chasing a record fifth championship. The rookie who just made history now gets a chance to add to it in October.
Source: WNBA.com, “Olivia Miles Unanimously Named 2026 Kia WNBA Rookie of the Year,” Sept. 28, 2026.
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