On Monday, Olivia Miles became the sixth player in WNBA history to win the Rookie of the Year award with a unanimous vote. While the Minnesota Lynx rookie was ecstatic, her excitement subsided after her parents informed her they wouldn’t be able to celebrate the win with her. However, Yakubu and Maria Miles had different plans.
It turned out that Miles’ parent had every intention of attending the award dinner but also wanted to surprise thier daughter.
“It was a complete surprise. They kind of tricked me and said they weren’t going to be able to come, and I was a little upset, and then out of nowhere they came out with the trophy.”
“Which is a special moment… to see my parents, who have truthfully been my rocks through everything,” Miles told reporters during the ROTY and Coach of the Year press conference.
While Miles sat at the table at the team dinner, her parents entered the room. Miles teared up before getting up from her seat. Her father entered the room holding the Rookie of the Year trophy, and her mother, Maria, held a big bouquet.
Miles’ father, Yakubu, was born in Jamaica, and her mother, Maria, hails from Italian roots. They have been supportive of their daughter’s dream since she was in high school at Blair Academy, New Jersey.
Miles gave the WNBA one of the greatest rookie seasons ever recorded in WNBA history. The league and her head coach, Cheryl Reeve, expected her to be good, but Miles being elite in just her rookie season came as a pleasant surprise.
In 40 appearances in her rookie season, Miles averaged 19.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. She was among the top 10 names in both scoring and assists. Miles was the best player on the best team in the league. There was very little doubt about her win.
Miles broke the previous scoring record by a rookie (790) and led all rookies in points, field goals made, and assists. She had 22 games with 20+ points and set a new rookie record for most 3-pointers (8) in a game. She did it against the Golden State Valkyries.
The Lynx sensation swept the Rookie of the Month honors and had three games with 30 or more points. Miles also set a new record by reaching 500 points and 150 assists in just 26 games.
However, it is also true that Miles wished the award had been announced at a better time. All season long, she has been the Lynx’s best player, and when it really mattered on Sunday, she came up short. Miles struggled to score in the 91-75 loss. She recorded just 11 points and 1 assist while she shot 3-of-12 from the field. But it wasn’t a big surprise. WNBA playoff basketball is a different ballgame altogether.
“It’s hard being a rookie in your first playoffs against a matchup of a team that has been a challenge for her,” Reeve said after the game. “I think she’s feeling it right now. But this is what we expected, and it’s not easy… She’s a smart player. She’ll figure it out.”
Miles also admitted to being nervous for the game. She has been their best player throughout her first season, but it was also the first time that she was playing such high-stakes games.
Feeling the pressure in her first WNBA playoff game didn’t play out in her favor, and Miles has struggled against the New York Liberty in the regular season. In their first three regular-season clashes, she shot just above 32 percent from the field.
Despite what happened in Game 1, the loss and her poor performance don’t dilute how great she played during the regular season. Meanwhile, the Lynx will respond to Liberty in Game 2 at Barclays Center. Whether they’ll manage to succeed or not remains to be seen.