MINNEAPOLIMEDIA SPORTS | Cheryl Reeve Wins Record Fifth Coach of the Year Award as Olivia Miles Sweeps Rookie Vote

MINNEAPOLIS, MN (September 29, 2026). Minnesota Lynx Head Coach Cheryl Reeve has been named the 2026 WNBA Coach of the Year, while point guard Olivia Miles became the unanimous selection for Rookie of the Year.

Reeve received 40 of the 74 votes cast by a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. Golden State Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase finished second with 20 votes.

The award is Reeve’s fifth, extending her WNBA record and giving her more Coach of the Year selections than any coach in a major American professional sports league.

Reeve led Minnesota to a 33-11 regular-season record and the No. 1 seed in the WNBA playoffs. She also became the league’s career leader in regular-season coaching victories during July and finished the season with 397 wins.

Miles received all 74 Rookie of the Year votes. Selected second overall in the 2026 draft, she started all 40 games and averaged 19.8 points, six assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals.

Her 790 points established a WNBA rookie scoring record, surpassing the 769 points Caitlin Clark recorded in 2024. Miles also set a rookie record with 22 games of at least 20 points, passing the previous mark of 20 established by former Lynx star Seimone Augustus.

She led all rookies in scoring, assists, field goals, defensive rebounds and overall efficiency. Miles also won Rookie of the Month during every month of the regular season and became the only rookie selected to start the 2026 All-Star Game.

The awards arrived one day after Minnesota lost the opening game of its playoff series against the New York Liberty. The Lynx face elimination Tuesday night in Brooklyn and must win to force a deciding third game in Minneapolis.

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