Olivia Miles sets WNBA rookie scoring record, passing Caitlin Clark - USA Today
UNCASVILLE, CT — Minnesota Lynx guard Olivia Miles has all but secured the WNBA Rookie of the Year honor after sweeping Rookie of the Month this season.
Her latest achievement is the cherry on top of her historic campaign.
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 Connecticut Sun on Sunday, Sept. 20, surpassing Caitlin Clark's previous mark of 769 points across 40 games in 2024 after being drafted No. 1 overall by the Indiana Fever.
"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. She added three rebounds, six assists and two steals and now has 781 points this season.
"She's been incredible for us," Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said of her point guard. "It's gonna get harder (in the playoffs), and she's gotta be able to quickly navigate things and make reads ... every possession on both sides of it.
"Set(ting) 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 and knew coming in she needed one point to set the record. She will likely add to it with two more games remaining in the 44-game regular season.
"Things like that tend to loom over you head and you just want to get it it done and out of the way," Miles said "It was a cool moment but I was really just locked into what I had to execute."
Miles already has a couple records previously held by Clark. Miles hit eight 3-pointers in the Lynx's 87-84 home victory over the Golden State Valkyries on June 4 to set a WNBA rookie record for 3-pointers in a game, surpassing the seven 3s Clark knocked down on June 7, 2024 vs. Washington Mystics. On July 11, Miles also became the fastest player in WNBA history to record 350 points, 100 rebounds and 100 assists in 21 games, one game quicker than Clark and former Charlotte Sting guard Andrea Stinson.
Miles, a 5-foot-10 guard out of TCU, has been sensational since joining Minnesota. Look no further than her 21-point, eight-assist WNBA debut on May 10, when she became only the fifth player in league history to post 20-plus points and five-plus assists in her first game. The WNBA All-Star leads all rookies in scoring (19.7 points per game), assists (6.0) and made field goals (7.0) this season, while ranking second in minutes (30.9) and total made 3-pointers (63).
And Miles hasn't slowed down. She also became the fastest player to reach 500 points and 150 assists in 26 games last month, breaking the previous records set by Paige Bueckers (28 games) and Clark (29 games).
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