Olivia Miles Finishing Ahead of Caitlin Clark-Kelsey Mitchell in MVP Race Angers Fever Fans – “These Voters Need Help”

Many media outlets touted Olivia Miles as a possible MVP candidate over Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell.

Olivia Miles Finishing Ahead of Caitlin Clark-Kelsey Mitchell in MVP Race Angers Fever Fans – “These Voters Need Help”

Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell, and Olivia Miles (Image via WNBA on NBC/Polymarket Hoops/X)

With the 2026 WNBA playoffs in full swing, it was time for the most important individual trophy to be awarded among the top contenders: A’ja Wilson, Kelsey Mitchell, Caitlin Clark, and Olivia Miles.

The Aces superstar was the preseason favorite, and remained so as the reigning league MVP led her team to third in the regular season. Even towards the end of the season, when others were being touted as potential players who could end Wilson’s run, many felt that it was a far-fetched idea.

Still, certain media outlets tried to promote the Minnesota Lynx star as possibly the first rookie since Candace Parker to win the most-coveted regular-season award.

Others pointed out that Clark was having a season like no other and should be the one to succeed Wilson. The Fever also pushed the idea that the point guard and Mitchell should be co-MVPs.

Then the news dropped that A’ja Wilson won her fifth MVP with a landslide 65-of-74 first-place votes. Olivia Miles finished second, Kelsey Mitchell third, Caitlin Clark fourth, and Breanna Stewart fifth.

The three-time champion deservedly won her record-extending award, and many thought the voting, as well as the overall perception, was that there was no doubt she would repeat.

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Fans tear into MVP voters after Olivia Miles gets 6 first-place votes

The ranking may be fine with many, but what caught the attention of fans was that voters gave Olivia Miles six first-place votes, despite not having the numbers Kelsey Mitchell and Caitlin Clark put up.

They argued that members of the media with voting rights did not objectively cast their ballots. Rather, it was an effort to ensure the rookie above the Fever duo, simply because of a collective attempt to undermine the franchise or bias towards Miles. Check out examples of those reactions below.

Fans felt that the Minnesota Lynx were already a top team, which meant Olivia Miles’ impact was not as big as those voters believed. In fact, her lack of numbers when compared to Kelsey Mitchell and Caitlin Clark was counterintuitive to what an MVP vote should be.

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Olivia Miles’ postseason numbers should have affected voting

It is not a surprise that MVP awards are announced this late into the season. Any league takes its time to do so. But sometimes, the timing of the announcement ends up impacting the outcome.

Olivia Miles with Cheryl Reeve
Olivia Miles with Cheryl Reeve (Image via I Talk Hoops/X)

It happened in the 2024-25 NBA season when the league waited for the outcome of the Oklahoma City Thunder-Denver Nuggets playoff series to end to announce their decision.

Many understood that the Nuggets’ loss became the deciding factor in handing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander the MVP over Nikola Jokic. Keeping that in mind, WNBA voters skipping Olivia Miles’ postseason struggles to still award her six first-place votes is why this process continues to baffle fans.

The TCU alum averaged a measly eight points on 20% from the field, one assist, five rebounds, and 25% shooting from the three-point line. More importantly, her first-round Game 2 choke job was bad enough that her head coach benched her in the fourth quarter.

Olivia Miles could be an MVP candidate in the future, and might win one. But such numbers generally give the idea that her impact may not be as good as those MVP votes suggest.

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