NEW YORK, Sept. 28, 2026 – Minnesota Lynx guard Olivia Miles has been unanimously named the 2026 Kia WNBA Rookie of the Year, the WNBA announced today. Miles received all 74 votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.

A starter in all 40 of her appearances for Minnesota, Miles averaged 19.8 points, 6.0 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 31.0 minutes and shot 49.2 percent from the field, 38.8 percent from three-point range and 87.0 percent from the free throw line.

Miles set all-time WNBA rookie records for total points (790, surpassing Caitlin Clark’s 769 in 2024) and games with at least 20 points (22, surpassing Seimone Augustus’ 20 in 2006). Among rookies in WNBA history, she finished second in total assists behind Clark (337 in 2024), third in scoring average and fifth in assists per game.

Led by Miles, Minnesota (33-11) earned the No. 1 seed in the WNBA Playoffs presented by Google Pixel. The Lynx continue their pursuit of a record fifth WNBA championship on Tuesday, Sept. 29, when they visit the New York Liberty in Game 2 of their first-round series at 8:30 p.m. ET on USA Network. Minnesota trails the series 1-0.

A Phillipsburg, N.J., native who played for TCU and Notre Dame during her collegiate career, Miles swept the four Kia WNBA Rookie of the Month awards during the regular season and was voted as a starter for Team Spoon in the 2026 AT&T WNBA All-Star Game held in Chicago in July.

Selected by Minnesota with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft presented by State Street Investment Management SPY, 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). She also ranked third among rookies in rebounds per game and three-point field goals made (64), fourth in steals per game and tied for fourth in total blocks (25).

Among all WNBA players this season, Miles ranked seventh in assists per game, eighth in points per game, and ninth in both total points and total assists.

In addition, Miles set Lynx franchise rookie records for points, assists, three-point field goals made and minutes played (1,239). Among Minnesota’s all-time rookies, she ranked second in scoring average (19.8 ppg), behind Seimone Augustus (21.9 in 2006). She also ranked second in field goal percentage, three-point field goal percentage and defensive rebounds.

Additional highlights of Miles’ 2026 season include:

Became the 11th rookie in WNBA history selected as an All-Star starter.
Was named the WNBA Western Conference Player of the Week twice (for games played June 1-7 and Aug. 10-16).
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.

In honor of being named the 2026 Kia WNBA Rookie of the Year, Miles will receive $15,000 and a trophy designed to commemorate her achievement. Below is a list of past recipients of the Kia WNBA Rookie of the Year Award.

KIA WNBA ROOKIE OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS

1998 – Tracy Reid, Charlotte

1999 – Chamique Holdsclaw, Washington

2000 – Betty Lennox, Minnesota

2001 – Jackie Stiles, Portland

2002 – Tamika Catchings, Indiana

2003 – Cheryl Ford, Detroit

2004 – Diana Taurasi, Phoenix

2005 – Temeka Johnson, Washington

2006 – Seimone Augustus, Minnesota

2007 – Armintie Price, Chicago

2008 – Candace Parker, Los Angeles

2009 – Angel McCoughtry, Atlanta

2010 – Tina Charles, Connecticut

2011 – Maya Moore, Minnesota

2012 – Nneka Ogwumike, Los Angeles

2013 – Elena Delle Donne, Chicago

2014 – Chiney Ogwumike, Connecticut

2015 – Jewell Loyd, Seattle

2016 – Breanna Stewart, Seattle

2017 – Allisha Gray, Dallas

2018 – A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas

2019 – Napheesa Collier, Minnesota

2020 – Crystal Dangerfield, Minnesota

2021 – Michaela Onyenwere, New York

2022 – Rhyne Howard, Atlanta

2023 – Aliyah Boston, Indiana

2024 – Caitlin Clark, Indiana

2025 – Paige Bueckers, Dallas

2026 – Olivia Miles, Minnesota

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