From the moment they stepped on the floor as a WNBA player, the likes of Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark had the eyes of many on them. Even before they arrived in the WNBA, those players were must-watch TV, attracting new and the most casual of fans to tune into a game with an uptick in nationally televised games increasing as a result.
Those two players specifically — along with others to a bit of a lesser extent — garner a lot of eyes, attention and fandom, often labeled as “the best show in the WNBA” and “must-watch TV.”
That is still true and will likely continue to be the case for years to come. But there is another name that has entered the chat to be part of that conversation — and she might even be at the top of the list during her rookie season: Olivia Miles.
Miles has stormed onto the scene, not only sitting as the clear frontrunner for Rookie of the year but also putting her name into MVP conversations … as a rookie. And she is doing so in impressive fashion with jaw-dropping, “oh shit” type of dazzling plays on a nightly basis. And she did so once again on Aug. 2 against Clark and the Indiana Fever, dropping a team-best 28 points, six assists and four rebounds to help Minnesota to its 10th straight win (its longest winning streak since 2016).
Miles is must-watch TV, she is the best show in the WNBA, and she should be viewed alongside Bueckers and Clark as players you need to watch whenever they step on the court.
“You’re a Star”
From the first few games of the season, you could tell Miles wasn’t like a normal rookie. The way she carried herself — on and off the court — the confidence she has, the swag that she has and the IQ that she has, all of that has the make-up of a multi-year veteran.
Yet Miles is doing all of this as a rookie. And it has surprised many as to how fast she has learned Cheryl Reeve’s system, has integrated herself into the next level so seamlessly, and hit the ground running.
Miles has set multiple records — not just rookie records — to begin her first season in the WNBA, has claimed Rookie of the Month honors in May and June (and will so again for July), and was even the lone rookie to be selected as a starter in the 2026 WNBA All-Star Game. If we continued to list all of the accoladed, this story would be 5,000 words long.
Now into August and 3/4 of the way through her rookie campaign, there is one thing clear about Miles: she is a star. And others have certainly noticed.
“You’re a star. For real. You’re a star,” Las Vegas Aces four-time MVP A’ja Wilson said during All-Star Weekend in Chicago. “You’re gonna have a really, really good career in this league. Not only because of your game, of course, but the way that you carry yourself off the court. I love how unapologetic you are, and I think that’s always gonna (get you) far in life.”
Like we see with players such as Wilson, Napheesa Collier, Bueckers, Clark and others, Miles’ stardom isn’t limited to just on the court. It’s off the court as well, which is a true sense of the label of star. Young girls want to be like Miles, fans are wearing goggles to games, people are wearing afros to be like Miles. She is taking the league over by storm, both on and off the court. That is what stars do.
“My most fulfilling moments are when I see little girls in the crowd with hair like mine or wearing goggles,” Miles said. “That’s the biggest thing, that’s why I play the game — to inspire others and to inspire the youth specifically.”
Rookie of the Year AND MVP?
About 1/3 to halfway through the WNBA season, the statement of “Olivia Miles is playing like an MVP this season” was thrown out there, but the people saying that likely didn’t think it could be a legitimate possibility.
Miles couldn’t win Rookie of the Year and the Most Valuable Player in the same year, right? Right??
Well, that might not be as crazy as it once sounded.
Miles is not only the clear frontrunner for — and likely will be unanimously named — Rookie of the Year, but she is right up there with the likes of Wilson, Bueckers, Kelsey Mitchell, Clark and others as MVP candidates.
Yes, a rookie point guard who everyone thought would start the year as a backup to Courtney Williams as the floor general in Minnesota is a MVP candidate 3/4 of the way through her WNBA career. Who would have thought?
“Liv doing this and shouldering so much. The success of the team is on her shoulders, and that is impressive how she has handled it,” Reeve said. “I just can’t say enough. Her impact on this team, the magnitude of it, shouldn’t be understated.”
Through the win over Indiana on Aug. 2, Miles has appeared in 28 games with the Lynx, averaging 19.4 points, 5.8 assists, 4.7 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 0.7 blocks in 30.5 minutes while shooting 49.2% from the field, 37.3% from three and 87.2% form the free throw line. And the amount of times, like against the Fever, she has taken over the game and made us all sit back in our seats in awe has been endless.
“It’s really fun when you have a true point guard, that understands the game and reads the game very well before she even gets the ball,” Natasha Howard said of her rookie teammate. “You don’t really see a lot of rookies come in being like her. Being herself, being comfortable, being who she is. But she kind of gives me Lindsay Whalen (vibes) back then, when Lindsay was playing.”
Miles is a MVP candidate, and there is no doubt she will continue to be in that MVP conversation for years to come. Minnesota might not have expected Miles to take things over as quickly as she has, but here we are watching the best show in the WNBA and next big star.
“Reality has blown me away a bit, just because I didn’t expect anything. I knew I belonged and knew I was going to do well, but I didn’t know I was going to do this well,” she said. “I feel like I’m on pace to do great things.”