Minnesota Lynx rookie sensation Olivia Miles did not hold back Thursday after being left off the USA Basketball roster for the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup.
The 5-foot-10 guard, widely viewed as the prohibitive Rookie of the Year favorite and an early MVP candidate, learned she would not join the 12-player squad headed to Berlin in September. The team, announced earlier in the day, features a star-studded backcourt of Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum, Rhyne Howard and Jackie Young, along with forwards and centers including A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier, Angel Reese, Aliyah Boston and Kahleah Copper.
Miles, averaging 19.7 points, 5.8 assists and 4.7 rebounds while leading the Lynx to the league’s best record, called the omission deliberate and disappointing.
“I’ve put in the work every single night,” Miles said in a brief statement shared through team channels. “I know what I bring to a team—playmaking, toughness, winning. To be left off after the season I’m having feels like a deliberate snub. It’s frustrating. I wanted to represent my country on that stage.”
USA Basketball managing director Sue Bird and new head coach Kara Lawson prioritized continuity and players who had participated in senior national team camps and qualifiers. Miles, who starred at Notre Dame and TCU before being drafted second overall by Minnesota, had competed for the U.S. at the youth level and won gold at the 2025 FIBA AmeriCup but had not been part of the senior training camps while finishing her college career.
Bird later noted that Miles remains “undoubtedly in the mix” for future teams, including the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. That long-term assurance did little to ease the immediate sting for the 23-year-old.
Lynx fans and many around the WNBA quickly labeled Miles the biggest omission from the four-time defending champions’ roster. Her exclusion underscores the depth of American women’s basketball: even elite production does not guarantee a spot when experience and familiarity are weighted heavily.
Miles is expected to channel the disappointment into the remainder of the WNBA season as the Lynx chase a championship. For now, the rookie’s frustration is clear. The World Cup will proceed without one of the league’s most dynamic young talents, and the conversation about what that means for Team USA will continue until the opening tip in Germany.