Minnesota Lynxguard Olivia Miles is the 2026 WNBA Rookie of the Year.
On Monday, the league announced that Miles unanimously won the award in her debut season. Miles' win caps an incredible rookie season during which she helped the Lynx secure a WNBA-best 33-11 regular-season record and the No. 1 seed in the playoffs.
Miles is the sixth unanimous rookie of the year, joining Aliyah Boston, A'ja Wilson, Elena Delle Donne, Tina Charles and Candace Parker.
Miles led the Lynx in scoring (19.8 ppg), assists (6.0) and was third in steals (1.3). Her production helped her finish eighth in the league in points per game, seventh in assists and top 25 in steals. Miles was also ninth in total points and total assists. The former TCU product earned All-Star
honors in 2026 and became the only rookie to be named a starter in the All-Star game. Becoming an All-Star wasn't Miles' only accomplishment in 2026.
She swept the Rookie of the Month awards, winning it four consecutive times. The Lynx star finished second behind Caitlin Clark (337) for the most assists in a rookie season (239) and broke Clark's rookie scoring record (769 points) set in 2024, with 790 points in 40 games. Miles also broke Clark's rookie record for 3-pointers in a single game. The Minnesota guard now owns the record for most 20-point games by a rookie (22), surpassing another Lynx legend, Seimone Augustus, and is fourth all-time in points per game among rookies (19.75).
Olivia Miles' WNBA records
Here's more WNBA records that Olivia Miles set this season
- WNBA rookie-record six games with 20 or more points while shooting at least 50% from the field, 40% from three-point range and 90% from the free-throw line
- Fastest player in WNBA history to reach 500 points and 150 assists (26 games), breaking Paige Bueckers’ record of 28 games set in 2025
- Second rookie in WNBA history to average at least 15.0 points and 5.0 assists and shoot 45% or higher from the field in a season, joining Bueckers (2025)
- Third rookie in WNBA history to record multiple games with 20 or more points while shooting at least 80% from the field, matching Aliyah Boston (2023) and Bueckers (2025)
- 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, Caitlin Clark and Candace Parker
- Tenth player in WNBA history to have at least 30 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in a game
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Olivia Miles wins WNBA Rookie of the Year award after stellar debut season with Lynx
