Olivia Miles Gains Momentum In WNBA MVP Race With A'ja Wilson

The WNBA's 30th season is winding down, with the postseason set to start on Sept. 27, and the MVP race may have taken a turn with Minnesota Lynx guard Olivia Miles continuing to shine in her rookie season.

Early in the season, Las Vegas Aces forward A'ja Wilson took an early lead in the MVP race with her dominance on the court. However, ESPN and other MVP polls had Miles in the top four along with Phoenix Mercury guard Kelsey Plum and Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers.

On Aug. 17, ESPN's Myron Medcalf, a radio host, appeared on First Take and selected the Minnesota guard as his 2026 MVP. He challenged sports leagues on their mindset when it comes to not awarding MVP's to younger players.

"We don't like to give MVP to younger players, and I think we got to get rid of that mindset because Olivia Miles is your MVP in the WNBA right now," Medcalf said on the Aug.17 episode of First Take.

Miles, who was drafted No.2 overall by the Minnesota Lynx in this year's draft, was ranked second in the MVP race in June. She has continued to remain in the conversation through July.

The Lynx guard was listed as one of the top contenders for the award behind Wilson for ESPN's August MVP tracker. She helped keep Minnesota afloat while they were waiting for forward Napheesa Collier to get healthy.

Since Collier's return, Miles' productivity has not declined as she leads the team in points per game (19.9). She has taken charge of the offense and helped Collier adjust to being back on the floor and in the lineup.

Collier has played 9 games this season and is averaging 19.1 points per game, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.2 assists while shooting 50 percent from three-point range.

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark, who has had a strong season after missing a majority of the 2025 season, is another contender. ESPN ranked Bueckers as the third contender for MVP.

Miles' case for MVP may have improved because of her team winning the season series against the Aces. Minnesota won the season series against Las Vegas 2-1.

The Lynx guard outscored Wilson in the June 13 and Aug. 8 matchups, while Wilson led both teams in the final meeting on Aug.15.

The MVP is decided by a national panel of 60 sportswriters and broadcasters from across the nation. Each media member on the panel submits a ranked ballot listing their top five choices for the MVP award, and then points are assigned based on the player's position on each ballot.

Whoever accumulates the highest total number of points across all submitted ballots wins the award. While ESPN's Medcalf supports Miles, the WNBA has awarded young players with the MVP award in the past.

Hall-of-Fame forward Candace Parker won the MVP in 2008 at the age of 21 during her rookie season with the Los Angeles Sparks. Hall-of-Fame center Lauren Jackson won the MVP in 2003 at the age of 21 and was the first international player to win the award.

Forward Breanna Stewart also won an MVP award at the age of 23. Miles is currently 23 and continues to help lead the Lynx through the season.

Minnesota is first in league rankings at 29-7 and has eight games remaining.