MINNEAPOLIS — The multi-day whirlwind of the 2026 WNBA Draft is in the rearview mirror. Players have now received a moment or two to take a deep breath, take in the moment and embrace the opportunities of their new surroundings.
For Olivia Miles, the opportunity to arrive in a city and at an organization coming off a season with the league’s best record, and as the draft’s second-highest drafted player, is an opportunity she won’t be taking for granted.
“That was a big priority, in me and my agents talking about, they were like, ‘this could be a very, very good situation for you,’” Miles said at her introductory press conference at the Minnesota Lynx’s practice facility in downtown Minneapolis. “Not that rebuilding is an issue, but to head into somewhere where you know you can compete for a championship right away is rare, and especially as high [in the draft] as you said. Definitely grateful I’ll be inserted [here], and I know it won’t be easy, and I’m not looking for it to be easy. It’s going to be intense. I’ve been looking and searching for that kind of culture for a long time and I can’t wait to get the most out of my ability.”
Part of Miles’ welcome to her WNBA home has been the interactions with the all-star veterans she’ll be sharing the floor with in Minnesota. Kayla McBride expressed her enthusiasm for the selection of Miles to head coach and president of basketball operations Cheryl Reeve before Miles had even left the stage beside WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert. She brought the same enthusiasm to her Instagram page moments later and has made sure the ‘first real point guard we’ve had since Lindsay Whalen,’ as Reeve described her, feels welcome in her new environment.
“It means everything to me,” Miles said. “It means that she’s excited to play with me and I’m definitely excited to play with her. Just hearing that from your teammates, who you haven’t even made a single pass to, and hearing how excited they are for you to be here means the world. I’m just so glad I’m being welcomed with open arms.”
Miles has also spent time with McBride’s fellow all-star and backcourt mate Courtney Williams, and can report that the enthusiasm is mutual.
“Energy, excitement,” Miles said when asked about her earliest impressions of Williams. “She’s someone who lets her personality flow, and I like to think I’m the same. Obviously, I love the hair and I have crazy hair too. I was talking to her at the draft, she came in and met with us before, just someone who is an exciting presence and obviously great basketball player as well, [she’s] a vet in this league and someone I can’t wait to learn from.”
Miles and Williams represent the present and future of the organization’s lead guard spot. And it’s all intertwined with the past, as Whalen enters her second season as an assistant coach with the organization for which she helped raise four championship banners.
Miles’ excitement to work with the Hall of Fame point guard was on full display Wednesday as she told the media she planned to learn, “literally everything,” from the hometown hero. Miles then turned to Whalen in the third row of the audience and told her new assistant coach through a smile to ‘get ready, because you’re going to be tired of me.’
“I’m gonna ask so many questions and just be open minded,” Miles expanded. “For women, we have such a short period to play in our careers, so I want to maximize that and really soak up the people around me. And like I said, this staff is full of just championship culture, championship level players and coaches, it’s something that I’m really excited to be around.”
According to Miles, she’s already been doing her homework to build a connection with Whalen.
“I was looking at Lindsay Whalen highlights the other night,” Miles said. “I had to see what kind of dimes we’re throwing. But it’s amazing to be invited to be coached by such an amazing player.”
Wednesday marked the first of many days for Miles as a member of the organization. As the days count down towards the start of the season, and as the team opens training camp this weekend, there will be more milestones for Miles and the Lynx as they begin this journey together. It’s a partnership that officially began when Engelbert announced Miles’ name as the team’s top pick, but the foundation dates back to a much earlier meeting that Reeve spoke about on draft night when it was clear that both team and player understood each other.
“I learned that they’re great basketball minds,” Miles said when asked about what she learned at that meeting. “I love being surrounded by great basketball minds. I’m a film junkie, a data junkie, so I pay attention to all that stuff. That’s why we were on the phone for so long because we’re just asking questions back and forth. It shows how intentional they are and how detail-oriented the staff is, and that’s kind of what separates you. Everyone’s a good player [at this level], but how focused are you on the details and how it can make your team better and get you over that extra hump.”
The journey of Miles being the player to help the Lynx get over that ever-rising hump is set to begin in earnest.
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