Lynx honors: Reeve named 2026 WNBA Coach of the Year; Miles is top rookie
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The WNBA on Monday named Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve as its Coach of the Year for 2026 and Olivia Miles, the team’s point guard as Rookie of the Year.
Reeve received 40 of 74 votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters; Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase finished second with 20 votes, the WNBA said in a statement. It’s her record fifth time winning the award.
In her 17 years as Lynx head coach, Reeve’s won four WNBA championships. This year, the Lynx snagged the No. 1 seed in the playoffs following a 33-11 regular season. In July, Reeve broke the WNBA’s all-time most regular-season wins record, finishing the season with 397 wins.
Miles, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft, was the unanimous choice for Rookie of the Year. She ended her debut season with 790 points, breaking the league’s all-time rookie scoring record previously held by Caitlin Clark.
Miles is the sixth rookie in franchise history to earn the award. Others include Hall of Famers Maya Moore and Seimone Augustus and current Lynx star Napheesa Collier.
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Miles ended the regular season ranked seventh in the league in assists, eighth in scoring and ninth in both total points and total assists. She was also honored with the WNBA Rookie of the Month honors every month this season and was the only rookie for the All-Star Game, which she started.
‘We trust Cheryl’
Fans praise Reeve’s success on the court but also how she supports her players, said longtime season ticket holders Portia and Pedro Ramos of Plymouth.
“She allows her players to be themselves, their individualism. She embraces them for who they are and what they are,” Pedro said. “She doesn’t try to change them, she just wants to bring the best out of you, and if it's being who you are, that's when you can be your best. And you can see that from the players.”
The two weren’t initially sold on Reeve’s decision to pick Olivia Miles in the WNBA draft but trusted the coach to make the right move. It paid off, with Miles breaking WNBA records and being names the league’s Rookie of the Year.
“We kind of thought we needed a big,” Portia recalled, referring to taller rookies available on draft night.
“When she picked Olivia Miles, we just turned to each other and we said, ‘We trust Cheryl,’ and look at how she's delivered,” Portia said. “It's just been so fun, and we lean on that and lean on her judgment knowing that she's always going to put a good product on the floor, and it's and and they're going to bring the fun.”
Did Miles ‘just do that? Yes she did’
Miles’ high-energy skill has made Pedro Ramos’ season.
When she’s on the floor “you don't know what to expect, and it's so exciting because it's going to be unusual, amazing, incredible. You've never seen it before in your life. ‘Did she just do that?’ Yes, she did,” he said. “We’ve had some exciting players but she’s one of a kind.”
Miles and her trademark goggles and afro, have become a phenomenon in the Twin Cities.
“Oh my God, she’s incredible. She is just such an inspiration for little girls,” said Caitlin Cave of Minneapolis.
“I can't wear contacts, and I have learned to embrace it as a style thing, and it's a part of my personality now,” added Caves, who works in graphic design. “To see someone at such a high level embrace that as their identity is incredible.”
