Olivia Miles celebrates expected ROTY win with emotional moment

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JUNE 09: Minnesota Lynx guard Olivia Miles 5 controls the ball during a WNBA, Basketball Damen, USA game between the Minnesota Lynx and Dallas Wings on June 9, 2026, at Target Center in Minneapolis MN. Photo by Nick Wosika/Icon Sportswire WNBA: JUN 09 Dallas Wings at Minnesota Lynx EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon20260609035 IMAGO/Icon Sportswire

Olivia Miles celebrates expected ROTY win with emotional moment

Originally posted on HerSportsNation | By Zaid Quraishi | Last updated Sep 29, 2026 1:39 AM ET

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A surprise appearance turned an expected honor into one of the WNBA season’s most emotional moments.

Olivia Miles couldn’t hold back the tears. Surrounded by her Minnesota Lynx teammates at a pre-playoff team dinner, the rookie guard was completely caught off guard when her parents walked in holding the 2026 Kia WNBA Rookie of the Year trophy. She had been told they wouldn’t be able to make it. Instead, they delivered the hardware that confirmed what most of the league had known for months.

“A moment worth seeing from every angle. More from the moment Olivia Miles learned she was the 2026 WNBA @Kia Rookie of the Year! #KiaROY | #WNBASeason30.”

The official WNBA X account captured the moment from multiple angles, showing Miles processing the news in real time. For a player who’d spent years grinding through a college transfer and the pressure of high expectations, the emotion was unmistakable.

Miles earned the award unanimously, receiving all 74 votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. She became just the sixth unanimous Rookie of the Year in league history, joining names like Candace Parker, Tina Charles, Elena Delle Donne, A’ja Wilson, and Aliyah Boston.

Selected second overall by the Lynx in the 2026 draft out of TCU, after beginning her career at Notre Dame, Miles wasted no time proving she belonged.

In 40 starts, she averaged 19.8 points, 6.0 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.3 steals while shooting 49.2 percent from the field, 38.8% from three, and 87% from the line. She finished the season with 790 points, breaking Caitlin Clark’s rookie scoring record of 769 set in 2024.

Miles also swept all four Rookie of the Month awards and was the only first-year player named a starter in the All-Star Game.

Who else was in the running for ROTY?

By the end of the season, Olivia Miles had turned the Rookie of the Year race into a one-woman show.

Azzi Fudd, the No. 1 overall pick by the Dallas Wings, was the only player viewed as a potential rival early in the season. She showed real promise as a scorer and defender, but a season-ending right knee injury in August ended any chance of a real challenge, as per BR. Fudd finished the year averaging 13.1 points, 1.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.7 steals in limited action.

Beyond Fudd, no other rookie mounted a serious push. Miles swept all four Rookie of the Month awards, started in the All-Star Game as the lone rookie selected, and set a rookie scoring record with 790 points, leaving little room for debate.

In the end, Fudd was the only realistic alternative before her injury, but Miles’ consistency made the vote a formality months before it was even announced.

Do you think Miles’ rookie season will be remembered as one of the greatest in league history?

This article first appeared on TheSheGotGame and was syndicated with permission.

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