Jamaican-American Olivia Miles unanimously named WNBA Rookie of the Year

Jamaican-American basketball star Olivia Miles has completed a spectacular WNBA debut by unanimously winning the 2026 Kia WNBA Rookie of the Year award.

The Minnesota Lynx guard received all 74 votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters, becoming the sixth player in franchise history to capture the honor.

Miles, 23, was selected second overall by Minnesota in the 2026 WNBA Draft and immediately established herself as one of the league’s premier young players. She started all 40 games, averaging 19.8 points, 6.0 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals.

Records fall in breakthrough season

Miles’ rookie campaign was highlighted by a pair of major scoring records.

She finished with 790 points, surpassing Caitlin Clark’s previous WNBA rookie record of 769 points.

Miles also scored at least 20 points in 22 games, breaking the rookie mark of 20 set by former Lynx star Seimone Augustus in 2006.

She led all rookies in total points, scoring average, assists and assists per game, among several other statistical categories.

Her production helped Minnesota finish 33-11 and claim the No. 1 seed in the WNBA Playoffs.

A season of firsts

The Rookie of the Year award was only the latest in a remarkable collection of accomplishments.

Miles swept all four Kia WNBA Rookie of the Month awards during the regular season and was twice named Western Conference Player of the Week.

She also earned her first WNBA All-Star selection and was voted an All-Star starter, becoming just the 11th rookie in league history to start the All-Star Game.

She was the only rookie selected as an All-Star starter in 2026.

By the end of the regular season, Miles had combined individual records, team success and a series of historic firsts into one of the most decorated rookie campaigns in WNBA history.

Jamaican roots, family sacrifice

Behind the remarkable numbers is a journey deeply connected to Miles’ Jamaican heritage.

Born in New Jersey in 2003, Miles is the daughter of a Jamaican immigrant father who played soccer and introduced her to the sport before basketball became her focus.

“My dad was an immigrant from Jamaica, and he played soccer. So, I grew up playing soccer,” Miles told TCU Magazine in 2025.

Her father remained central to her development after she turned toward basketball, making long drives to ensure she could train and compete.

In a video celebrating her Rookie of the Year award, Miles recalled the extraordinary commitment involved.

“My dad put a lot of miles on that car getting me to the gym, an hour each way,” she said, recalling that they traveled approximately 500 miles a week for five years.

Those miles became part of a journey that took her from Blair Academy in New Jersey to Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, and later TCU in Fort Worth, Texas.

Minnesota ultimately selected her second overall, opening the door to a professional career that began with one of the most dominant rookie seasons in league history.

‘Still a lot of road left’

For all the records, awards and recognition that have come in her first WNBA season, Miles views the Rookie of the Year honor as another milestone rather than a destination.

“Rookie of the Year? Check,” she says in the video celebrating the achievement. “Still a lot of road left to cover.”

At 23, Miles has already rewritten the rookie record book. Her unanimous selection suggests the league sees even greater possibilities ahead.