Lynx’s Olivia Miles gets high praise from Sue Bird amid phenomenal rookie year

Olivia Miles came up big down the stretch to help the Minnesota Lynx survive the Phoenix Mercury, 104-101, at Target Center on Monday.

With the Lynx only leading by a point, 101-100, with 21 seconds left, Miles drove to the lane and found Natasha Howard for the layup. Miles then added a free throw after she was fouled in their next possession to seal their third straight win.

The rookie guard finished with a career-high 33 points on top of three rebounds and eight assists. She shot 10-of-16 from the field, including 5-of-8 from three-point distance.

After the game, Miles earned high praise from Sue Bird.

“Not every kid coming out of college knows exactly who they are as a basketball player. Some are still figuring it out,” said Bird on “WNBA Showtime.”

“She went through a lot, whether it was her decision to go from Notre Dame to TCU to stay that fifth year, she just has gone through enough in her life as a basketball player, where she believes in herself and her decisions.”

One of the games all-time greats Sue Bird has high praise for the talented rookie Olivia Miles. pic.twitter.com/DK2Tn3plDy

— WNBA on NBC and Peacock (@WNBAonNBC) July 14, 2026

Bird, the No. 1 pick in 2002, knows exactly the level of pressure that comes with transitioning to the WNBA after a standout career in college. Miles, this year’s No. 2 pick, is going through it, but she has made it look fairly easy.

Like Bird, Miles was named to the All-Star Game in her rookie year. She is averaging 19.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 1.3 steals.

With her performance against the Mercury, the 23-year-old hotshot became the fastest player in league history to reach 400 points, 100 rebounds, and 100 assists.

Miles, who was also lauded by Kevin Garnett, will be a headache for opponents in the years to come, and it’s scary to think that she has barely scratched the surface.

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