Fearless.
Confident.
Magic.
Those are just a few of the words that Olivia Miles fans have used to describe her.
Other phrases like generational talent, activist, future MVP candidate and more have surfaced when painting a picture of the 2026 rookie they’ve not only enjoyed watching but have grown to appreciate on a deeper level of what she represents for the WNBA, and most specifically, the Minnesota Lynx.
“As a Lynx fan, when the league recently started popping off, I was hoping to get a fun Gen-Z, tapped-in rookie in the draft,” Lynx fan Tia Goff explained when asked what Miles brought to her 25-plus years of fandom. “Not to say that we didn’t love our recent years’ rookies, but we’ve just had a bit of different picks in that regard compared to the Angel Reese/Paige Bueckers/any one of the UCLA stars - type of vibes. I really wanted a youngin' who could bring that fun, new, flashy energy, and we got it.”
“I remember maybe our second home game with Olivia, where she went to celebrate and got right up with some fans courtside, dapping them up and waving for the crowd to up the energy. That is just so fun and fresh and not something that we’ve gotten to have here in a bit.”
It’s no surprise that Miles is becoming a staple name across the WNBA.
She’s already been named rookie of the month twice this season, first in May after becoming the first rookie in WNBA history to score at least 25 points while making eight 3-pointers in a regular-season game. She earned the honor again in June after becoming the first rookie in the Lynx franchise to record over four assists in a 30-point game, finishing with a career-high 31 points against the Los Angeles Sparks.
Goff also said that it’s been exciting to watch Miles’ relationship grow with the veteran players surrounding her, along with head coach Cheryl Reeve, as she grows into her role on the court, unafraid to talk smack and get interactive with the crowd and fans, no matter where they are.
The best part about this second-round pick’s story is that she wasn’t always expected to be one.
Miles had the decision to either stay at Notre Dame for her extra year of eligibility or declare for the draft. Still, she felt as though she wasn’t ready just yet for the pro leagues, and after recovering from her ankle injury, she wanted to feel 100 percent ready before transitioning to the next level.
When she made that decision, though, the reaction wasn’t what she expected.
March 31, 2025, the ESPN alert dropped from Insider Shams Charania. “Notre Dame’s Olivia Miles — the projected No. 2 pick in the WNBA draft this month — will forgo the draft and enter the NCAA’s transfer portal…”
Miles was leaving everything she had known over the previous four years and gearing up to enter a new system, but this wasn’t a last-minute decision. It was one she had limited time to weigh out.
“I took probably 47 out of the 48 hours to decide, truthfully. I was going back and forth with myself,” Miles told the Beyond the Jersey podcast. “…Until a few hours before, I never sat there and said ‘what does Olivia want?’”
Miles also explained that she knew how her outlook would appear and what people would say online, but she knew this was something she had to do, to bet on herself and see it out. Because of the closeness in time frames, she had limited time to reach out to everyone in her close circle before the news officially dropped, and her heart sank once the alert went out.
“I just feel bad for the way that it looked. And I know I can’t control it, but that was what I beat myself up for, for a long time,” Miles said, choking up as she relived those emotions in the same interview. “So, I lost a lot of people who I thought were in my corner.”
Miles may have lost people she thought would always support her, but in making that decision, she gained an entirely new fan base. People who were introduced to this new spark of energy on the Horned Frogs’ roster, and young players who’ve started to develop their game after her.
Emory-Jade Faniel is one of them. A young ball player who was first introduced to Miles once she began her time at TCU now follows her story through Minnesota. She’s started studying the way Miles would play, the confidence she displays, and the way she carries herself, and sees more than a talented rookie on the court.
Her mother posted a video on TikTok of Faniel opening her new Miles jersey and said that, though she was on a budget, she knew she had to find a way to get her daughter that jersey because of what it would mean to her.
“When I got the jersey, I felt proud because it represents someone who looks like me and has an ability that I aim to surpass one day,” Faniel explained, while pointing out that she also sports Rec Specs and wears her afro out proudly. “…Seeing her makes me believe in myself!”
Less than a year after making what many questioned as a risky decision, Miles helped lead Texas Christian University (TCU) to the Elite Eight, making that her first time going that far. She had the best shooting year of her college career, and she was named Big 12 player of the year.
She said she felt the joy of the game again, and with TCU’s pro-style level of play, she felt more prepared when it was time to declare.
Her instinct was right. And her production is now reaping the benefits of that decision, being the playmaker as the point guard on a dominant Lynx team that’s allowing Miles to be herself and grow within their system.
“I’m just happy where I’m at,” Miles told Sue Bird on the Bird’s Eye View podcast. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Lynx fans feel the same way. And Faniel isn’t the only person inspired to rock the Miles’ look.
Ixchel McKinnie is not a young girl growing into her own on and off the court, but a 58-year-old woman who started attending Lynx games regularly during the 2025 season. Instantly falling in love with the culture and everything surrounding Minnesota’s fanbase, she became a season ticket-holder for the 2026 season. Once Miles entered the scene, she knew she was witnessing someone special.
“Since she’s my first rookie and she had a distinctive look, I started thinking about it,” McKinnie explained. “As a black woman with a short nature, I felt comfortable and actually empowered to wear the afro and all it represents.”
McKinnie ordered a pair of goggles and an afro wig to pair with her jersey and turtleneck, taking to social media to showcase her finished look and inquiring if she should go all out for the first game.
The answer was yes. That same day, she was able to get a picture with Miles, wearing her inspired outfit.
“I fan-girled out, and she [Miles] was so gracious,” McKinney said.
And that’s only the beginning of what Minnesota fans are saying about the young star who’s putting the league on notice.
Whether they’ve followed her since college or only recently discovered her, fans say Miles represents something much bigger than her production on the court.
She’s the piece many didn’t know was missing.
She’s a reminder that being unapologetically yourself can inspire people of every age, and she’s doing it on a team that embraces exactly who she is while encouraging her to keep growing.
Her message to those supporters?
“Don’t let your greatness make other people feel small,” Miles said in a podcast interview with Beyond the Jersey. “And don’t let their smallness impact your greatness on the other side.”
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