Minnesota Lynx guard Olivia Miles wins 2026 WNBA Rookie of the Year
Lynx's Kayla McBride after Game 1 loss to Liberty: 'I believe in us'
Minnesota Lynx players Kayla McBride and Npa Brodie spoke with reporters after Sunday's 91-75 loss to the New York Liberty in Game 1 of the WNBA Playoffs at Target Center.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The WNBA handed out two major awards, and the Minnesota Lynx walked away with both of them.
Olivia Miles named WNBA Rookie of the Year
What we know:
Lynx guard Olivia Miles was unanimously named the Kia WNBA Rookie of the Year by a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters, according to the WNBA. Miles becomes the sixth rookie in franchise history to earn the award, joining Crystal Dangerfield (2020), Napheesa Collier (2019), Maya Moore (2011), Seimone Augustus (2006) and Betty Lennox (2000). She is the first Lynx player to win the award since Dangerfield in 2020.
The No. 2 overall pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft wrapped up her debut season by breaking the league's all-time rookie scoring record with 790 points. She averaged 19.8 points on 49.2% shooting from the floor and 38.8% from three-point range, along with 6.0 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game across 40 appearances, all starts. Miles finished the season ranked seventh in the league in assists, eighth in scoring and ninth in both total points and total assists (239), while leading all rookies in total points, points per game, field goals made (279), defensive rebounds (163), total assists, assists per game and efficiency (21.4).
Miles swept the WNBA Rookie of the Month honors throughout the season and was named Western Conference Player of the Week twice, on June 9 and Aug. 18. She recorded a WNBA rookie-record 22 games with 20 or more points and had three games with 30 or more points. That included a rookie-record eight three-pointers against Golden State on June 4. She also broke the single-game franchise rookie scoring record with a 33-point performance against Phoenix on July 13, and scored in double figures in each of her first 15 career games — the longest such streak in franchise history since Augustus in 2006.
The Phillipsburg, N.J. native was the only rookie named to the 2026 WNBA All-Star Game and was also named a starter.
Cheryl Reeve earns 5th Coach of the Year honor
The WNBA also announced that Lynx Head Coach and President of Basketball Operations Cheryl Reeve was named the league's Coach of the Year. It is the fifth time Reeve has won the award, extending her own league record. She previously won in 2011, 2016, 2020 and 2024.
In her 17th season leading Minnesota, Reeve guided the Lynx to a league-best 33-11 record and the No. 1 overall seed in the WNBA Playoffs. She earned WNBA Coach of the Month honors for June and was selected to serve as an All-Star head coach for the sixth time.
Big picture view:
Under Reeve, the Lynx ranked second in the league in net rating (9.1), third in offensive rating (115.0) and fourth in defensive rating (103.5). The team also ranked second in steals (9.1), third in assists (21.9) and third in opponent field goal percentage (41.4%), according to the WNBA.
Minnesota recorded the most road wins in WNBA history with 18 and went on a 10-game winning streak from July 11 to Aug. 12 — the longest in franchise history since 2016. Reeve became the league's all-time winningest coach on July 8, reaching 380 wins, and finished the regular season with 397 total wins.
Lynx head to New York on Tuesday
What's next:
The Minnesota Lynx face the New York Liberty in Game 2 of their WNBA Playoff series Tuesday night. The Lynx lost Game 1 of the best-of-three series Sunday afternoon at Target Center, so they need a win to extend their season and force a Game 3 Thursday night.
The Source: The Minnesota Lynx and WNBA announced the honors on Monday.