Olivia Miles

Olivia Miles
Miles with the Minnesota Lynx in 2026
No. 5 – Minnesota Lynx
PositionPoint guard
LeagueWNBA
Personal information
Born (2003-01-29) January 29, 2003
Listed height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Listed weight168 lb (76 kg)
Career information
High schoolBlair Academy
(Blairstown, New Jersey)
College
WNBA draft2026: 1st round, 2nd overall pick
Drafted byMinnesota Lynx
Playing career2026–present
Career history
2026–presentMinnesota Lynx
Career highlights
Stats at Basketball Reference 
Medals
Women's basketball
Representing the  United States
FIBA AmeriCup
Gold medal – first place2025 Chile
FIBA Americas Under-16 Championship
Gold medal – first place2019 ChileTeam

Olivia Rose Miles (born January 29, 2003) is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and TCU Horned Frogs.

High school career

Born in Summit, New Jersey and later a resident of Phillipsburg, New Jersey, Miles played basketball for Blair Academy in Blairstown, New Jersey.[1] In her junior season, she averaged 13.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.6 assists per game,[2] leading her team to the Prep A state title.[3] Miles competed for the Philadelphia Belles on the Amateur Athletic Union circuit, with whom she won a Nike Elite Youth Basketball League title in June 2019.[4] In addition to basketball, she played soccer in high school.[5] Miles was selected to the Jordan Brand Classic roster.[6] Rated a five-star recruit by ESPN, she committed to play college basketball for Notre Dame after also considering Stanford and North Carolina.[7] ESPN called her "a combination of Sue Bird, Steve Nash and Diana Taurasi" while she was still in high school.[5]

College career

Miles opted to enroll early at Notre Dame and joined the team on January 25, 2021.[8] Over six games in her first season, she averaged 9.3 points and 3.5 assists per game.[9] On November 21, 2021, Miles posted 14 points and 14 assists, three short of the program single-game record, in a 94–35 win over Bryant.[10] On December 8, she joined Marina Mabrey as the only Notre Dame freshmen to record a triple-double, with 11 points, 13 rebounds and 13 assists in a 73–56 win against Valparaiso.[11] Miles scored a season-high 30 points in a 74–61 win against Boston College on January 30, 2022.[12] In the first round of the NCAA tournament, she became the first freshman in women's or men's tournament history to register a triple-double, with 12 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists in an 89–78 victory over UMass.[13] As a freshman, Miles averaged 13.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game, ranking second to Caitlin Clark in assists among NCAA Division I players.[14] She was named first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).[15]

On December 10, 2022, Miles posted 13 points, 13 rebounds and 14 assists in a 108–44 win over Merrimack, surpassing Skylar Diggins and Jackie Young for the most triple-doubles in Notre Dame history, with three.[16] On February 16, 2023, she made the game-winning shot as time expired, while recording 18 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists, in a 78–76 victory over Louisville.[17] Miles suffered a season-ending knee injury during her team's regular season finale against Louisville on February 26. As a sophomore, she averaged 14.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game. Miles was named first-team All-ACC, second-team All-American by the Associated Press (AP) and third-team All-American by the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA).[18]

After earning two degrees from Notre Dame, on March 31, 2025, Miles entered the transfer portal for her remaining eligibility instead of choosing to enter the WNBA draft where she was anticipated as the #2 pick.[19] In her time playing for TCU, she "averaged career highs for points (19.6), free throw percentage (.839) and minutes (35.4). She averaged 7.2 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game. She earned Big 12 Player of the Year. She scored a career high 40 points in one game, grabbed a career best 16 rebounds in another and tied her career high with 14 assists."[20] Miles wanted to have more time to build physical and mental strength after missing the 2023-24 season due to an ACL injury and credits her time at TCU with preparing her to play professionally.[21]

Professional career

WNBA

Minnesota Lynx (2026–present)

2026: Rookie season
Miles with the Minnesota Lynx in 2026

On April 13, 2026, the Minnesota Lynx selected Miles as the second overall pick of the 2026 WNBA draft.[22] On May 10, she made her 2026 season debut, recording 21 points, 8 assists, and 3 rebounds in a 91–90 loss to the Atlanta Dream, becoming the fifth player in league history to record at least 20 points and 5 assists on debut.[23] On May 14, in a 90–86 victory over the Dallas Wings, Miles recorded 15 points, 6 assists, and 2 rebounds, becoming the first player in WNBA history to record at least 45 points and 20 assists in their first three games.[24] On June 1, Miles had her first double-double, with 19 points and 10 assists in a 111–77 victory over the Phoenix Mercury.[25] On June 3, she was named Rookie of the Month after averaging 15.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 5.9 assists in May.[26] On June 4, in an 87–84 victory over the Golden State Valkyries, Miles scored 28 points and set the WNBA rookie record for the most three-point field goals in a single game (8).[27] She was named the Western Conference Player of the Week for June 1-7, 2026.[28] On June 15, Miles joined Paige Bueckers in becoming the fastest player to score 250+ points and 50+ assists in the league.[29]

In the June 17, 2026, game against Los Angeles, Miles set a league record for the most points scored by a rookie in the first half with 24 points (finishing with 31 points in the game) and most field goals made by a rookie in the first half with 10 field goals (finishing with 12 field goals in the game).[30] Miles set the league record for the most points generated in her first 15 games as a rookie with a total of 485 points with 285 career points and a total of 200 assists.[31] On July 2, 2026, she was named as the only rookie on the league All-Star starters.[32] On July 3, 2026, Miles was again named the league Rookie of the Month, this time for June.[33] After the July 11, 2026, game against the New York Liberty, Miles broke the league record for reaching the mark of 350 points, 100 rebounds, and 100 assists, doing so in 21 games and breaking the record previously set and shared by Andrea Stinson and Caitlin Clark.[34] Miles earned her third Rookie of the Month award for July, making her the first Lynx player to earn this award three times.[35] She also had the most games in WNBA history by a rookie "with 20 or more points while shooting 50/40/90 shooting splits" in July. She became the fastest player to reach 500 points with 150 assists in a record 26 games.[36] On August 18, 2026, the league named Miles the Western Conference Player of the Week for games played August 10-16.[37]

Unrivaled

On April 12, 2026, Miles signed a multi-year contract with Unrivaled, a 3x3 basketball league. She will make her league debut in the 2027 season.[38][39]

National team career

Miles played for the United States national under-16 team at the 2019 FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship in Chile. She averaged 5.2 points, 2.2 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game, helping her team win the gold medal.[40]

She made her senior international debut at the 2025 FIBA Women's AmeriCup and won a gold medal. [41] Miles led the team in efficiency and the competition in assists.[42]

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game  RPG  Rebounds per game
 APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game  BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game
 TO  Turnovers per game  FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 Bold  Career best ° League leader

College

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2020–21 Notre Dame 6022.751.110.046.73.73.51.20.23.09.3
2021–22 Notre Dame 333333.445.527.067.75.77.4°1.80.23.813.7
2022–23 Notre Dame 282831.746.022.876.77.36.9°2.10.23.314.3
2023–24 Notre Dame Did not play due to injury
2024–25 Notre Dame 343433.048.340.679.05.65.8°1.40.22.515.4
2025–26 TCU 383835.448.135.183.97.26.61.80.33.719.6
Career 13913333.047.233.176.96.36.51.70.23.315.6
Statistics retrieved from Sports-Reference.[43]

Personal life

Miles graduated from Notre Dame in 2024 with a bachelor's degree in political science. She followed up by earning a master's degree in nonprofit administration from Notre Dame in 2025.[44] A dream of hers is to start a nonprofit organization to help support kids in sports.[45] She won the Kay Yow Scholar Athlete of the Year award in 2025. [46][47] In her final year of collegiate eligibility, Miles also earned a Master of Liberal Arts degree from TCU.[48] Miles has earned the nickname "The Spectacle" given by Lynx fans to honor her exciting play and her vision-correcting goggles.[49] She is also a lesbian.[50] Before she was drafted in the WNBA, she told a reporter "I’m rooting for the lesbians. I just have to, always. The gays, the theys. All of them."[51]

In June 2025, Miles' relationship with former Notre Dame teammate and WNBA player Maddy Westbeld became public. The couple have a cat named Beans.[52]

Business interests

On July 21, 2025, Miles was signed by Unrivaled, a 3x3 basketball league, to NIL deals as part of "The Future is Unrivaled Class of 2025".[53] On June 23, 2026, GlassesUSA.com announced a collection and a "Trust Your Vision" campaign with Miles. The collection includes sports goggles and daily frames.[54]

References

  1. ↑ Olivia Miles, USA Basketball.Accessed August 16, 2022. "Attended and played her prep career at Blair Academy in New Jersey.... Born in Summit, New Jersey, and now resides in Philipsburg, New Jersey."
  2. ↑ Anderson, Anthony (April 24, 2020). "Notre Dame women's basketball gets commitment from nation's No. 2 player in 2021 class". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  3. ↑ Gould, Brandon (February 19, 2020). "Blair girls basketball ends title drought, wins Prep A championship". NJ.com. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  4. ↑ "Ivey signs top-five 2021 recruiting class". Leader Publications. November 16, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  5. 1 2 Weinfuss, Josh (January 29, 2020). "Two sports, no problems for No. 2 basketball prospect Olivia Miles". ESPN. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Citron/Miles Named to 2021 Jordan Brand Classic". Notre Dame Fighting Irish. May 24, 2021. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  7. ↑ Berardino, Mike (January 30, 2021). "Olivia Miles Has Big Plans As She Begins Her Notre Dame Career". Forbes. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  8. ↑ "Olivia Miles Enrolls Early to Notre Dame". Notre Dame Fighting Irish. January 18, 2021. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  9. ↑ Anderson, Anthony (December 22, 2021). "Notre Dame Women's basketball: Shifty, nifty Miles learning to be more demanding". Notre Dame Insider. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  10. ↑ Bell, Gayle (November 10, 2021). "One game at a time: A journey through Notre Dame's 2021-22 women's basketball season". Notre Dame Insider. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  11. ↑ Oren, Paul (December 8, 2021). "Takeaways: Freshman Olivia Miles leads No. 22 Notre Dame past Valparaiso". The Times of Northwest Indiana. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  12. ↑ "Freshman Olivia Miles scores 30 as Notre Dame tops Boston College 74-61". WTHR. Associated Press. January 30, 2022. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  13. ↑ Weiner, Natalie (March 25, 2022). "Olivia Miles Is Shredding Defenses as a Freshman. How Far Can She Go?". The New York Times. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  14. ↑ Laase, Eden (March 29, 2022). "JWS NCAA awards: Our picks for Player of the Year, All-Americans, more". Just Women's Sports. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  15. ↑ Shepkowski, Nick (March 2, 2022). "Notre Dame star named ACC freshman of the year". Fighting Irish Wire. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  16. ↑ Anderson, Anthony (December 10, 2022). "Olivia Miles sets Irish triple-double mark, tops Merrimack". Associated Press. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
  17. ↑ Mentock, Andrew (February 16, 2023). "Miles hits buzzer-beater, No. 10 Notre Dame beats Louisville". Associated Press. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
  18. ↑ Philippou, Alexa (March 16, 2023). "Notre Dame star Olivia Miles out for season with knee injury". ESPN. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
  19. ↑ Higney, Donald (April 1, 2025). "Report: Olivia Miles entering transfer portal, foregoing WNBA draft". Score Media and Gaming. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
  20. ↑ Noie, Tom. "Olivia Miles talks decision to leave Notre Dame women's basketball". South Bend Tribune. Retrieved 2026-06-20.
  21. ↑ "Olivia Miles Explains How Her Transfer to TCU Shaped Her WNBA Draft Decision". EssentiallySports. 2026-05-16. Retrieved 2026-06-20.
  22. ↑ "Lynx Select Olivia Miles with the Second Overall Pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft". lynx.wnba.com. Retrieved 2026-06-05.
  23. ↑ read, Olutayo Inioluwa Emmanuel·4 min (2026-05-10). "Olivia Miles Sets WNBA Record in Lynx Debut Despite Season Opening Loss". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved 2026-06-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  24. ↑ Henderson, Cydney; read, USA TODAY·6 min (2026-05-23). "Olivia Miles proving worthy of Rookie of the Year hype after historic start". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved 2026-06-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  25. ↑ "Courtney Williams scores 30, Olivia Miles has 19 and the Lynx ease past the Mercury 111-77". WNBA. 2026-05-02. Retrieved 2026-06-05.
  26. ↑ "Minnesota Lynx Guard Olivia Miles Named Kia WNBA Rookie of the Month". lynx.wnba.com. Retrieved 2026-06-05.
  27. ↑ Merchant, Sabreena (June 4, 2026). "Olivia Miles sets WNBA rookie 3-point record in Minnesota Lynx victory". New York Times. Retrieved June 4, 2026.
  28. ↑ "Minnesota Lynx Guard Olivia Miles Named WNBA Western Conference Player of the Week". lynx.wnba.com. Retrieved 2026-06-17.
  29. ↑ read, Shirsh Sanstuti·2 min (2026-06-16). "Lynx Phenom Olivia Miles Surpasses Caitlin Clark, Ties Paige Bueckers to Rewrite WNBA Record Books". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved 2026-06-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  30. ↑ www.espn.com https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/49104244/lynx-miles-sizzles-record-half-finishes-31-vs-sparks. Retrieved 2026-06-18. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  31. ↑ WNBA (June 19, 2026). "Rookie season to remember". WNBA on Facebook. Retrieved June 20, 2026.
  32. ↑ www.espn.com https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/49249692/fever-clark-boston-mitchell-start-wnba-all-star-game. Retrieved 2026-07-05. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  33. ↑ "Lynx Guard Olivia Miles Named WNBA Rookie of the Month". lynx.wnba.com. Retrieved 2026-07-05.
  34. ↑ read, Simoun Redoblado·2 min (2026-07-12). "Olivia Miles Tops Caitlin Clark's WNBA Record As Lynx Take Down Liberty". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved 2026-07-12.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  35. ↑ "Minnesota Lynx Guard Olivia Miles Named Kia WNBA Rookie of the Month". lynx.wnba.com. Retrieved 2026-08-05.
  36. ↑ "ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) on X". X (formerly Twitter). 2026-07-22. Retrieved 2026-08-05.
  37. ↑ "Minnesota Lynx Guard Olivia Miles Named Western Conference Player of the Week". lynx.wnba.com. Retrieved 2026-08-19.
  38. ↑ "Olivia Miles Signs Multi-Year Contract with Unrivaled". www.unrivaled.basketball. 2026-04-12. Retrieved 2026-06-05.
  39. ↑ Andrews, Kendra (2026-04-12). "Olivia Miles, TCU star, possible No. 1 pick, joins Unrivaled". ESPN. Retrieved 2026-06-05.
  40. ↑ "Olivia Miles". USA Basketball. Archived from the original on May 17, 2022. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  41. ↑ "Miles Earns Spot on USA Women's AmeriCup Team". TCU Athletics. 2025-06-19. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  42. ↑ "Olivia Miles - USA - Player Profile - FIBA Women's AmeriCup 2025 | FIBA Basketball". www.fiba.basketball. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  43. ↑ "Olivia Miles College Stats". Sports-Reference. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
  44. ↑ "Olivia Miles - Women's Basketball". TCU Athletics. 2026-03-01. Retrieved 2026-06-17.
  45. ↑ Smith, Corey (2025-11-15). "Olivia Miles Eyes a National Title in Her Fifth and Final College Campaign at TCU". TCU Magazine. Retrieved 2026-06-17.
  46. ↑ Hurd, Sean (August 2, 2024). "Notre Dame guard Olivia Miles excited for comeback from injury, momentum of women's basketball". Andscape. Retrieved 2026-01-07.
  47. ↑ Healey, Tim. "Notre Dame guard Olivia Miles wins the Kay Yow Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award". Fighting Irish Wire. Retrieved 2026-01-07.
  48. ↑ Johnson, Brady (2026-03-01). "Miles Goes No. 2 Overall to Minnesota Lynx in WNBA Draft". TCU Athletics. Retrieved 2026-06-25.
  49. ↑ Tengwall, Andrew (June 4, 2026). "I lucked into a ticket to the game to see The Spectacle live! Gotta get after it in the second half. #loslynx". bsky.app. Retrieved 2026-06-05.
  50. ↑ Buzinski, Jim (April 15, 2026). "'I'm rooting for the lesbians.' Top Lynx draft pick Olivia Miles celebrates being an out player". Outsports. Archived from the original on April 16, 2026. Retrieved June 30, 2026.
  51. ↑ Buzinski, Jim. "'I'm rooting for the lesbians' says No. 2 pick Olivia Miles". OutSports. Retrieved 2026-08-01.
  52. ↑ Smith, Charlie. "Former Notre Dame teammates Olivia Miles and Maddy Westbeld hard launched their relationship". Outsports. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
  53. ↑ "Unrivaled Signs 14 Top Women's College Basketball Players to NIL Deals as Part of "The Future is Unrivaled Class of 2025"". www.unrivaled.basketball. 2025-07-21. Retrieved 2026-01-07.
  54. ↑ GlassesUSA.com. "WNBA Star Olivia Miles and GlassesUSA.com Team Up to Launch "Trust Your Vision" Eyewear Collection". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2026-06-25.
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