Lynx Hit Rookie Lottery With Olivia Miles, Who Can't Stop Making WNBA History

The Minnesota Lynx finished with a league-best 34-10 record in 2025, yet they held the No. 2 overall pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft on April 13.

The Lynx received the Chicago Sky’s 2026 first-round pick as part of an April 2024 trade. It became the No. 2 overall pick when the Sky’s 10-34 record tied the Dallas Wings for the worst in the WNBA.

The Wings drafted former UConn star Azzi Fudd with the No. 1 overall pick, leaving former Notre Dame and TCU point guard Olivia Miles to fall into the Lynx’s lap.

On paper, Miles was a dream fit in Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve’s scheme, and it has played out that way through their first six games of the 2026 season.

Miles joined elite WNBA company in her debut by becoming the fifth player to record 20-plus points and five-plus assists in a WNBA debut alongside Cynthia Cooper, Candace Parker, Tonya Edwards, and Dawn Staley, per ESPN’s Alexa Philippou. Cooper, Staley, and Parker are Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers.

It wasn’t a fluke, either. After the Lynx defeated Chicago, 85-75, on Saturday, ESPN Insights relayed that Miles has joined Caitlin Clark, Sabrina Ionescu, Candace Parker, and Sue Bird as the only players in WNBA history to average 15 points per game and five assists per game through their first six career games.

Miles has made the Lynx’s backcourt a three-headed monster alongside veteran All-Star guards Courtney Williams and Kayla McBride. The Lynx getting off to a 4-2 start without face-of-the-franchise All-Star forward Napheesa Collier is, at least in part, a testament to Miles’ immediate impact.

Collier is recovering from two offseason ankle surgeries, and the team announced in late April that she was on track to begin on-court activities in early June. As soon as a healthy Collier joins this team, watch out.

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This story was originally published May 23, 2026 at 8:08 PM.