Olivia Miles wins 2026 WNBA Rookie of the Year unanimously — SkimNews
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- Olivia Miles received all 74 votes from a national panel to become the first unanimous WNBA Rookie of the Year since Aliyah Boston in 2023, joining Napheesa Collier, Maya Moore, and Seimone Augustus as the sixth Lynx player to win the honor.
- Miles averaged 19.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1.3 steals on 49.2/38.8/87 shooting splits, leading all rookies in scoring and assists while finishing eighth and seventh league-wide in those categories.
- Miles broke Caitlin Clark's rookie records for most 3-pointers in a game (eight, in just her 10th career game) and most points in a season (790), and became the fastest player ever to reach 400 points, 100 rebounds, and 100 assists.
- Miles swept every Rookie of the Month honor and became the 11th rookie in WNBA history named an All-Star starter, with an All-WNBA First Team selection considered likely.
- The Lynx overcame injuries to Collier (double ankle surgery) and the loss of six rotation players to go 33-11 and clinch the No. 1 seed, but were stunned at home by the New York Liberty in Game 1 of their first-round series, with Miles going just 3-for-12 for 11 points.
- Cheryl Reeve, per CBS Sports coverage of the same Lynx run, won a record-breaking fifth WNBA Coach of the Year award — the cross-coverage consensus frames Minnesota as the season's dominant organizational story even as their playoff title hopes now hang in the balance.
Why it matters: Miles' unanimous selection caps a rookie season that statistically rivaled any in league history, but the Lynx's Game 1 home loss to the Liberty — in which Miles scored 11 on 3-for-12 shooting — means the No. 1 seed now faces elimination in Brooklyn on Tuesday, putting Minnesota's first title since 2017 in immediate jeopardy despite the individual accolades.
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