Minnesota Lynx star Olivia Miles, who swept the Rookie of the Month award this season, added another impressive milestone to her historic debut season.
Miles, the No. 2 overall pick of the 2026 WNBA Draft, became the all-time rookie scoring leader in the Lynx's 101-89 victory over the Connecticut Sun on Sunday, Sept. 20, surpassing Caitlin Clark 'sprevious mark of 769 points across 40 games in 2024.
"It wouldn't be possible without, one, a coach who believes in you and teammates, who have me back on everything," Miles said. " It's really special,to obviously, be able to accomplish that with such a great team and to do it on a win as well."
Miles made two free throws at the 9:31 mark of the second quarter to break the record. The All-Star guard finished with 21 points, making 7-of-10 field goals and 6-of-6 free throws. The former TCU standout added three rebounds, six assists and two steals.
The Rookie of the Year favorite now has 790 points this season.
" She's been incredible for us," Lynx coach Cheryl Reevesaid of the rookie guard. "It's gonna get harder (in the playoffs). She's gotta be able to quickly navigate things and make reads. Every possession on both sides of it.
"Setting a scoring record, that's pretty incredible. Then there's the assists, the rebounds, just the way she impacts the game."
Miles entered the matchup tied with Clark for most points scored by a rookie and knew she needed just one point to secure the WNBA record.
"Things like that tend to loom over your head. You just want to get it done and out of the way," Miles said " It was a cool moment.I was really just locked into what I had to execute."
Miles joins Clark and Seimone Augustus as the only WNBA rookies to score 700+ points.
With two more games to play, Miles could become the first WNBA rookie to surpass 800 points in her debut season. She needs just 10 points to achieve this feat.
Miles, affectionately known as "The Spectacle," has been electric in her Minnesota Lynx debut season.
The 5-foot-10 guard ranks eighth with 19.8 points per game. She ranks ninth in total points and is the only rookie in the Top 10 this season.
In July, the 23-year-old guard became the fastest WNBA player to reach 500 pointsand 150 assists, doing so in just 26 games. Per ESPN Insights , Miles surpassed the previous marks set by Paige Bueckers (28 games) and Caitlin Clark (29 games).
Given how quickly Miles has adapted to the pro level, former Minnesota Timberwolves star Jeff Teague believes that she should have been the No. 1 pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft.
" She's the best player in the WNBA," Teague said on his Club 520 podcast. "She should win Rookie of the Year and MVP, just like Candace Parker. She's cold. Ain't no way in hell she wasn't the No. 1 pick."
Although she may not have been the No. 1 pick, Miles has been the clear-cut best rookie from the 2026 WNBA Draft class.
The All-Star guard swept the Rookie of the Month awards while helping pioneer the Lynx to the postseason.
"She's one of the most talented playersI think I've been around," Kayla McBride said of playing alongside Miles. "You can literally watch her grow possession by possession, quarter by quarter. I think she's one of the most talented players to come into the league in a long time."
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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