Olivia Miles on legacy, Lynx and what it means to play alongside legends
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Olivia Miles knows the Minnesota Lynx carry an unmatched legacy. With four WNBA championships, a culture of advocacy and a fan base that’s invested in the team’s success, the second overall draft pick is the newest addition to a roster that has set a high standard.
“This staff is full of just championship culture and championship level,” she said at her first press conference with the team Wednesday. “Players and coaches, and it's something that I'm really excited to be around.”
The legacy spans more than just a dynasty label. Players on the Lynx have long set examples for advocating for women’s sports and, more recently, were leaders in the fight for a new collective bargaining agreement.
“It’s special, I think, to have the opportunity to look up to such amazing, strong women who have truly seen it all. I can't wait again to be a sponge and soak up all of their information and everything that they have to share,” she said. “Nothing they say, basically, will be too much for me, and I can't wait to take it in and follow in their footsteps and carry that responsibility forward.”
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The Texas Christian University guard is known for her skillful passing and offense, but what won over Lynx fans and team leaders is her authenticity.
"I actually just spoke out a little activism on my Instagram about my hair and the draft as a Black woman. And so I'm excited to, again, join a franchise in a culture who aligns with me and my beliefs and gives me a platform to spread whatever message that I want to spread,” Miles said. “So I can't wait to meet the people in the communities who will actually be impacted by me and my presence here.”
Miles was referencing an Instagram post from draft night with a caption that read “for my fellow black women with natural hair like mine… be you and be free. the beauty that our hair brings is so unique and essential to who we are.”
That same night, she revealed she had gotten her family members’ names embroidered into the inside of her jacket.
“I had been thinking of ways to implement my family in one way or another, because they've sacrificed so much for me along the way,” Miles said. Her stylist suggested embroidering something to pay homage.
“I was glad that I could carry them with me through such a special night, because they’ve carried me through all of my ups and downs to get to where I was,” she said.
At a draft party at Target Center, fans were moved, and some even teared up.
The point guard first played with Notre Dame. In 2023, she tore her ACL.
She finished her college career at TCU, where she led the Horned Frogs to the NCAA Elite Eight. According to Lynx Coach Cheryl Reeve, it was Miles’ pick and roll skills and her ability to find open teammates for baskets that caught the eyes of the Lynx, which chose second in the draft.
“She is the first real point guard we've had since Lindsay Whalen,” Reeve said on draft night. “When I say real, like that kind of generational, makes a living doing it.”
After the draft, Miles was quick to point out her excitement to be working with Whalen. She said she has since revisited highlight reels of the legend.
Whalen, who was a core member of the Lynx during all four of their championships, is now an assistant coach. She’s most excited for Miles’ personality and “how she brightens up a room.”
“I think she's an incredible talent and I’m just excited I get to be a part of her journey,” Whalen said.
Miles took an extra year in college before entering the draft.
In that year, a lot has changed in the league, with a new collective bargaining agreement that has raised salaries and the stakes when it comes to keeping players in a franchise.
As a New Jersey native, Miles said the cold in Minnesota reminds her a bit of New Jersey. And she’s excited to have a home team town in almost every sports league.
She said the fan base has already welcomed her, with some commenting and messaging already. It’s a fan base that has been sent reeling after recent shake-ups in the team.
“I think my favorite video the whole night was the reaction of the crowd when they heard my name. That was special,” Miles said. “That told me a lot about this sort of culture and the basketball love around this city and its fans."
Fan favorites like Natisha Hiedeman, Alanna Smith, Bridget Carleton and Jessica Shepard signed with other teams. But in their absence, it leaves room for new favorites, like the newly minted No. 5: Olivia Miles.
