Olivia Miles isn’t returning to Notre Dame next season. But the women’s basketball superstar isn’t turning pro either.
Miles, a projected top five pick, will enter the transfer portal rather than declaring for the 2025 WNBA Draft or returning to play for the Fighting Irish. ESPN was the first to report the news.
Miles’ decision to spend another year in the NCAA further diminishes the 2025 WNBA Draft pool after UConn star guard Azzi Fudd announced last week that she will remain with the Huskies in 2025-26. Their decisions highlight the unique financial circumstances at play in women’s basketball right now.
Like Fudd, Miles can potentially benefit from waiting for the next WNBA collective bargaining agreement to kick in, as it will likely hold a higher rookie pay scale. Additionally, Miles will entertain NIL deals as she evaluates potential suitors in the transfer portal. The Phillipsburg, N.J. native has previously signed NIL agreements with Gatorade, CVS and Celsius.
Miles, who averaged a career-high 15.4 points per game this season, had told reporters she was undecided on her future plans after Notre Dame lost in the Sweet 16 to TCU on Saturday. “It just changes every day,” Miles said. “I love college. I think I’ve outgrown it a little bit, though, so that makes my decision tougher to stay. It’s comfortable, a place where you have security.”
It is possible that Miles, 22, will earn more in college next season between revenue-sharing from the pending House v. NCAA settlement and NIL than she would have gotten as a WNBA rookie.
That’s because this is the final year that draftees will be under the rookie wage scale from current CBA that was inked in 2020. The WNBPA opted out of that agreement last fall and has entered negotiations for a new deal that needs to be finalized before the 2026 season to avoid a work stoppage.
Lottery picks in 2025 will make less than $80,000 in their first seasons, while that number could rise to low-six figures in future years under the next CBA.
Several WNBA mock drafts had Miles being selected at No. 2 overall behind UConn star Paige Bueckers, who has said she will declare and is projected to be selected first by the Dallas Wings.
