Miles is 2nd ND women’s hoops star to be named WNBA Rookie of the Year

Former Notre Dame women’s basketball standout Olivia Miles is having a season for the ages in her inaugural season in the WNBA.

On Monday, the WNBA officially recognized Miles as this season’s Rookie of the Year. In her first regular season with the Lynx, Miles averaged 19.8 points, 6.0 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game and shot 49.2% from the field.

Miles became the second Fighting Irish women’s basketball player in history to win the award. Ex-Notre Dame star Jewell Loyd, who currently plays for the Las Vegas Aces, won it in 2015 with the Seattle Storm.

Loyd, who played for the Irish from 2012 to 2015, was the first overall pick in the 2015 WNBA draft.

Miles, who is also in the running for the WNBA Most Valuable Player award, currently holds the rookie single-season scoring record with 790. She also became the second rookie in NBA or WNBA history to lead the league’s best team in scoring after Minnesota finished 33-11 in the regular season.

In Miles’ time at Notre Dame, she played for the Irish in 2021-25 and was a 3-time All-ACC first team nod.

The top-seeded Lynx will face eighth-seeded New York Liberty in the opening round of the WNBA playoffs. Minnesota lost 91-75 to New York in Game 1.

A rookie season for the record books 🏆

Olivia Miles is your 2026 WNBA @Kia Rookie of the Year! Averaging 19.8 PPG, 4.7 RPG and 6.0 APG, Miles made history by setting the WNBA rookie single-season scoring record!#KiaROY | #WNBASeason30pic.twitter.com/OXG4ITq7Nq

— WNBA (@WNBA) September 28, 2026

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This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: Miles is 2nd ND women’s hoops star to be named WNBA Rookie of the Year