The Lynx season is over. But the 'Olivia Miles era' is just beginning.

MINNEAPOLIS — Olivia Miles didn’t know where she’d land in the 2026 WNBA draft. But she knew how she wanted to present herself. So, in the leadup to her big night, she reached out to an old friend: Meg Lee, former associate director of brand development and social media at Notre Dame.

“Bro, come work with me. Can you shoot my draft night?”

And so Lee was there in New York for Miles’ 6 a.m. workout on April 13, and later at the hotel where Miles’ team — an all-women squad complete with a stylist and hairdresser — helped prepare the draftee for the orange carpet.

Lee captured it all.

It wasn’t just for posterity’s sake. The photos later appeared on Miles’ Instagram in an effortlessly cool black-and-white collage capturing all the intricate details: including a custom jacket, featuring the names of her family members and her draft date stitched inside.

“I know what I want,” Miles said in a recent interview. “We set visions and goals of where we want to be as Olivia Miles the brand, as well as Olivia Miles the basketball player.”

That vision includes partnerships that are good for the Miles brand years from now, said Miles’ agent, Kailey Edwards of Lift Management, who noted their strategy hasn’t changed since the two began working together years ago. They are building towards something that outlasts any one season.

And what a season it was for Miles. Even with the Lynx’s first-round exit, Miles became the WNBA’s sixth unanimous Rookie of the Year, broke the rookie scoring record and became the first rookie to lead the league’s best team in scoring.

In selecting Miles with their No. 2 pick this season, the Lynx may have found their modern day golden goose: a star whose game, image and timing are built for today’s sports economy. Her viral highlights circulate far beyond Minnesota. Her look is singular.

And, with the recent growth of the WNBA, the Lynx have never been more primed to springboard a star like Miles into orbit.

Without Miles “we’re not having the enjoyment we’re having through 44 games,” Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said following the team’s season-ending loss Tuesday. “Our community, and even nationally, you know who Olivia Miles is and who she’s allowed the Minnesota Lynx to be.”

Plenty of questions surround the Lynx franchise this offseason, namely the future of free agent Napheesa Collier. It was a prominent topic of discussion at the team’s exit interviews last week, where Reeve said the franchise will look at “everything” from a roster-construction standpoint.

But this much is certain for the Lynx’s business and clear to Reeve: it’s the “Olivia Miles era.”

Miles’ freshman season at Notre Dame began just months after the NCAA adopted its interim NIL policy, allowing athletes to cash in on their name, image and likeness. While Miles was honing her skills as an all-conference player, she was also learning how to curate “the image she wants to present,” Lee said.

And for players like Miles, crafting a signature look or style of play (or both) is more important now than ever — both culturally and economically.

If Miles could sum up her brand in one word, it’s “diverse.” Her game? “Swaggy.” She’s always rocked the glasses, but her game has always put the Steve Urkel comparisons to shame.

She did it in high school, as the second-ranked player nationally in the Class of 2021, said Blair Academy coach Quint Clarke: “She’s in a great era for her... Olivia does this stuff you’ve not seen people do before, and I think it shows up really well on Instagram.”

She did it at Notre Dame, where she earned all-conference honors every season she wasn’t hurt and inspired a goggle giveaway night. Says Lee: “She has the defining characteristics that she’s capitalized on, like the goggles … she’s always owned it.”

She did it at Texas Christian University, where Miles became a first-team All-American after shocking the basketball world with her decision to stay in college an extra year. She did it to improve her game, earn some extra NIL money and grow her brand, the Associated Press reported at the time.

Says coach Mark Campbell: “Olivia is one of those players you can’t take your eyes off of.”

During Miles’ brief tenure, the team saw ticket revenue increase by 66%, hosted sold-out NCAA Tournament games in the postseason and saw over $50,000 in gross sales of women’s basketball licensed product, driven by Miles apparel.

“It’s everything about her,” Campbell said. “Her swag. Her vibe. Her look. Her flair for the game.”

Record-breaking March Madness viewership during Miles’ college years helped create a wave of new viewers and audiences, says Tantamount Sports Group founder Jenna Smith.

NIL-era players like Miles are positioned perfectly to capture that attention.

“These girls are coming out of college with partnerships,” Smith said. “They already know how to do brand campaigns. ... it’s so embedded in their everyday life to vlog, to post, to shoot UGC content versus the older generation who didn’t get that NIL opportunity.”

Edwards said Miles is able to work with a variety of brands because she’s herself. “Sounds simple, [but] it isn’t.”

Tampax spokeswoman Chelsey Harshman said the brand chose Miles as an ambassador because she embodies confident performance. Esther Wallace, founder of the women’s sports merch brand Playa Society, chose Miles as the company’s first NIL partner after seeing her highlights and affinity for streetwear. Miles’ “iconic style-related” traits don’t hurt, either.

“You cannot ignore this character and her vibes,” said Or Zinger, VP of Brand Marketing at GlassesUSA, the official eyewear partner of Miles.

Before she’d even played a professional game, Miles was a brand ambassador with Celsius, CVS Pharmacy, Venmo and Stackwell Capital.

Partnerships with Domino’s and Tampax rolled out in April around the WNBA draft. Then a mid-season Uber Eats campaign.

Miles’ Instagram following has increased by 227% in the past 180 days. There are, and will be, more eyes on her than ever.

Even without the Lynx in the playoffs, partners will be looking to take advantage of prime advertising slots and postseason excitement. Playa Society was quick to drop the Miles Rookie of the Year shirt, while her shoe partner Adidas rolled out a giant billboard outside of Target Center and promotional content on social media.

“She’s had the basis and the foundation of a good brand,” said Lee, “and she’s finally having a platform to really excel with that.”

‘Dying for an Olivia Miles jersey’

Even with her success in college, Miles considered herself “an underground kind of hooper” — one who flew under the radar.

That changed this summer.

“It’s hard to kind of be in public and act like a normal person,” Miles said in June.

She is everywhere in the Twin Cities. Or, more accurately, her likeness is.

The Minnesota State Fair was littered with crop art featuring her signature ‘fro and bulbous goggles. Her face is on yard signs around the city, with Minneapolis-based artist Adam Johnson estimating he got 20 messages a day asking for “an Olivia sign” during the Lynx’s winning streak.

Wallace of Playa Society created a “draft” edition Miles T-shirt. It sold out on draft night. So she brought another batch to Chicago for this summer’s All-Star Game. Those sold out too.

The Lynx and WNBA declined to share specific jersey sale metrics, but it’s well known that Miles’ jersey was sold out for weeks following this year’s home opener. Superfan Ishabor Makvandi said his jersey was on backorder for two months.

And they’re clamoring to come to games too. Carley Knox, president of Lynx business operations, said metrics this season are “absolutely skyrocketing” for interested partners, single-game tickets and season-ticket members.

Knox said the Lynx opened up more upper-level seats this season and, by August, had reported 33% growth in ticket revenue.

Next year should show even more growth.

Prices for next season have increased by as much as 47% for some fans who renewed for the 2027 season. The franchise is cashing in on its star, offering a Miles bobblehead to incentivize fans to renew membership to premium seats known as Lexus Courtside Club. That’s after Miles themed nights this season: a “SLAM” celebration in July and a goggle giveaway in September.

“Her style of play, her flair, and just who she is — [Miles] is also a big reason why this season, we’ve seen what we’ve seen from a business standpoint,” Reeve said.

“It’s no question that Liv is that for us,” Reeve continued. “No question.”

Indeed, she’s the reason Chris Lester, 56, brought his two young children to watch the Lynx’s regular-season finale against the Fever. Lester was a casual Lynx fan, but he hasn’t been able to stop watching since highlight clips of Miles began popping up on his phone. Miles didn’t end up playing because of a left calf injury, but Lester said the experience was still worth it.

“I brought the kids here for Olivia Miles,” he said. “We came to see the spectacle.

“Maybe when they’re older, and Olivia’s number is up there as well too,” he said, motioning to the jersey in the rafters. “Then they’ll realize, really, what they saw when they were younger.”

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