Olivia Miles just keeps making history in her rookie WNBA season, and she is absolutely tearing up the record books. Monday night, the Minnesota Lynx guard notched her 225th career assist against the Golden State Valkyries, officially blowing past Hall of Famer Ticha Penicheiro for the second-most assists by a rookie in WNBA history. This isn’t just adjusting to the pro game, this is rewriting it, game by game.
Miles Is Chasing More History After Leaving a Legend Behind
That milestone assist arrived early, during the first quarter at Target Center. Miles dished it to Napheesa Collier, who then powered through three defenders to finish the possession. That was Miles’ third assist of the game, the one that put her ahead of a Hall of Famer like Penicheiro. The WNBA even called it out on X, saying, “🚨 With this assist to Phee, Olivia Miles recorded her 225th assist of the season 🚨 She passes Ticha Penicheiro for the 2nd-most by a rookie in WNBA history!” You have to love seeing a rookie putting up numbers like that and getting the league’s attention.
Rookie of the Year Is Hers, But Clark’s Record Looms Large
Miles is more than an assist machine, though. She’s putting up insane overall numbers in her debut season. The No. 2 selection from the 2026 WNBA Draft is averaging 20.0 points, 6.2 assists, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game. Plus, she’s doing it with incredible efficiency, shooting 50.1 percent from the field and a blistering 40.4 percent from 3-point range, knocking down 1.7 threes a game. It’s no surprise she earned an All-Star selection in her first year and is the clear favorite for the Rookie of the Year award. While her assist total is remarkable, she still needs to chase down Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark, who set the rookie record with 337 assists in the 2024 season. Miles has considerable ground to cover, but reaching second place with games remaining means she’s already had a remarkable debut.
Miles Is Leading a True Championship Threat
What makes Miles’ rookie season even more wild? She’s doing all of this on a legitimate championship contender. The Lynx rolled into Monday with a WNBA-best 31-7 record and a red-hot six-game winning streak. A win over the second-place Golden State Valkyries, who are 25-11 themselves, would lock up the No. 1 seed for Minnesota in the playoffs. That’s a high-stakes game, not just another regular-season matchup. It’s tough for a young guard to produce historic individual numbers while operating on a stacked roster with an an established superstar like Collier. But Miles has found ways to complement her veteran teammates while still emerging as one of the most dominant players on the court. That milestone pass to Collier? A perfect example of her feel for the game. This isn’t a rebuilding year for the Lynx, and Miles is a massive reason why.
The stakes are clear: with a top seed on the line and games remaining, Miles has a chance to not only lead her team deep into the playoffs, but also carve her name even further into the WNBA history books. Can she catch Clark? It’s going to be wild to watch.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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