Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Blake Silverman

Top WNBA Prospect Olivia Miles Forgoes Draft, Enters NCAA Transfer Portal

Notre Dame guard Miles addresses the crowd after winning the second round of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament against Michigan at Purcell Pavilion. | MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Notre Dame Fighting Irish star guard and top WNBA draft prospect Olivia Miles will pass on the draft this year and find a new home for her final year of collegiate eligibility.

ESPN's Shams Charania reported Monday night that Miles will forgo April's WNBA draft and enter the NCAA transfer portal. He noted that Miles made an "unprecedented decision" to use her one remaining year of eligibility instead of the draft.

Miles's Notre Dame squad was eliminated from the NCAA tournament Saturday with a 72-61 loss to TCU in the Sweet 16. She averaged 15.4 points, 5.8 assists, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game this past season for the Irish.

Charania's report noted that Miles was the projected No. 2 pick in the 2025 WNBA draft, which takes place on April 14. UConn's Paige Bueckers is the consensus No. 1 prospect, with the Dallas Wings holding the draft's first pick.

Perhaps Miles elected to wait for the WNBA's new collective bargaining agreement (CBA), which is currently being negotiated between the league and the WNBA Players Association. The WNBPA chose to opt out of its current CBA, which is in effect until Oct. 31, 2025, shortly after the upcoming season concludes. A top priority in CBA negotiations is higher player salaries, including for rookie-scale contracts which Miles would enter the WNBA under.

Miles will stay in college for the time being and one lucky program will bring in the star guard for her last year of eligibility.


More College Basketball on Sports Illustrated


This article was originally published on www.si.com as Top WNBA Prospect Olivia Miles Forgoes Draft, Enters NCAA Transfer Portal.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.