Olivia Miles Explains Don’t ‘Get Punked’ Energy After Chippy Game vs. Wings
Olivia Miles came into the WNBA not scared of anything—or anyone, no matter if it’s about scoring on a more veteran player or talking trash. It’s what makes her one of the best entertainers in the game. It’s also starting to earn her a reputation as a trash talker just 19 games into her pro career.
After an 85-77 win against the Dallas Wings that featured some chippy moments between her and Paige Bueckers and Jessica Shepard, Miles gave some insight into what goes into those situations.
“I’m not trying to start anything,” Miles said when asked about it by The IX’s Melissa Triebwasser in the postgame media availability. “I usually just kind of get triggered by something, and then I kind of don’t want to get punked out there just because I’m a rookie, so I try to hold my own. It’s not who I want to be, but it’s just kind of the competitiveness in me.”
Olivia Miles wants to be clear: she’s not trying to start stuff on the court. But she’s also not willing to “get punked just because I’m a rookie.”
— Melissa Triebwasser (@TheCoachMelissa) June 28, 2026
She’s certainly holding her own talking that talk this season. pic.twitter.com/qZZvvRbpwn
Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve prefers when Miles lets her game talk, but understands that passion is a big part of what makes her so great.
“She can stand up for herself when players are giving it to her,” Reeve said after the game, per a video on the Lynx’s YouTube channel. “Both verbally and basketball-wise, that’s why I want her to talk with the basketball. She did both today.”
Basketball-wise, Miles certainly isn’t getting “punked” by anyone. She is the best player on the team with the best record in the WNBA, and her stats compare well with those of the top players in the league. She ranks tenth in points per game with 18.7 ahead of veteran star guards like Rhyne Howard, Allisha Gray, and Jackie Young, and ninth in assists per game. It hasn’t taken Miles long to establish herself as one of the best players in the league, and her efforts should be rewarded with her first All-Star nod soon. She’s also still the frontrunner for Rookie of the Year.
Miles was also called for a technical foul
Besides talking smack to some Wings players, Olivia Miles was also called for a technical foul to close out the second quarter when she got upset over what she thought was a missed foul call. It was only her second technical foul of the season, and Reeve would like to keep that number as low as possible.
“We want Liv to leave the officiating to us,” Reeve said after the game. “So, she’s still navigating that space because she’s very, very passionate. We just don’t want her to spend money on that kind of thing.”
Reeve is not afraid of getting into it with the refs and racking up technical fouls. She’s already at three for the season. Only Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and Kahleah Copper have been called for more technical fouls.
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Elaine Blum covers women’s basketball for On SI from Europe. She has been writing about women's hoops since 2023 and holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism and a master’s degree in American Studies with a focus on women’s and gender studies. She started playing basketball when she was 10 years old and won several league and state championships at the youth and senior level.